


Trusting Regressors and Confused Caregivers

by indecisivemess



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Deceit is basically dad of the dark sides, Demiboy Deceit, Fluff, How Do I Tag, I clearly dont know what Im doing, Idiots in Love, Im v short about those, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Its v vage but i feel like i need to put that there, Look away kiddos im worst than a sailor, Lots of Crying, Lots of Cursing, M/M, Maybe dysphoria mention?, Mute Deceit, Nightmares, Non-Sexual Age Play, Or at least im trying to imply that, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Patton has adhd, Queerplatonic Relationships, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, The last tag is not official and im v sad for this lack of representation, They are just one big happy famILY, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Trans Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, auditory processing issues, much confusion, tw remus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2020-08-13 21:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 40,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20181082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indecisivemess/pseuds/indecisivemess
Summary: Virgil and Roman share a huge problem. They both regress when under enough stress, and the nightmares definitely aren't helping them. None are aware of this predicament, however, and who they choose to trust as their caregivers also have no clue what is going on. Deceit just wants to make sure everyone is okay, and that his trash man baby doesn't burn the Mind Palace by accident, or on purpose.(I'm not very good with summaries. I'm just having fun projecting onto everyone :D)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to my partner, @booperlovesdooper. He came up with the title of the fic and a couple of amazing ideas for future chapters and helped connected some dots in my mind. I love him very much. You can ignore my sappiness, i just wanted to give him credit for it x3

Despite what you might think, Virgil hated the dark. He didn’t fear it, per say, but the voices in his head got louder when he was surrounded by it, making it impossible to hear anything else, forcing him to believe in their lies. So maybe he feared it, just a little. He was no baby, however, or he also liked to believe that. He didn’t sleep with the lights on, and he wasn’t going to start doing that now. No matter what anyone told him about his room, he wasn’t going to ruin the atmosphere he had worked so hard on with the light blue lamp his dad- Patton had given him. He wasn’t going to do it!

Alright, maybe he could consider the possibility. If he could stop panicking for once in his miserable life. You see, our dear Virgil had just woken up from a nightmare, on a fairly good day, may I add. He had no reason to stress over the usual issues in Thomas’s life and was actual giving him a day off so they could both relax. So why? Why did he just have that dream?

No matter where he looked, the darkness kept creeping closer. Even under the safety of his weighted blanket, he could feel it’s cold, long claws slipping inside his warm cocoon. No matter if he kept his eyes closed or not, he could still sense it, approaching, inch by inch. When the shadow of his nightmares finally managed to touch his ankle, he snapped. Suddenly, he kicked the blanket off from on top of him and quickly ran out of him room, panting as he leaned his back against the closed door.

He could hear his ragged breathing, his heart pounding in his chest. They shouldn’t need any of Thomas’s bodily functionalities, or whatever Logan called them, but they still had them, for some reason. It was weird and annoying, in Virgil’s opinion. Giving the embodiment of anxiety all the tools to panic was definitely a flaw in the system. He did eventually calm down, managing to focus on his breathing exercises for long enough to tame his emotions. He still gripped his throat lightly out of habit, the usual scratchiness post-attack bothering him to no end, but he didn’t dare move any more than that. Nightmares always had this power over him. They made him feel small, worthless, powerless. He could barely feel his own body from the adrenaline still kicking in his veins. He could see his hands shaking, but he was ignoring that fact. He needed to put himself together, and fast, before his function accidentally started manifesting in Thomas. Not being able to move definitely wasn’t helping that, though.

He looked down the hall, sensing the other’s doors rather than seeing them. He could feel their individual energies, soothing and flickering ever so slightly. They seemed to all be sleeping, just like Thomas. That’s how that’s supposed to go, anyways. The mind space was dark at least, so unless something was terribly wrong, their host should be asleep too.

“No, don’t add to the stress”, he promptly beat himself up, closing his eyes and slowly taking in a breath. He would feel if something were wrong with Thomas; they all would, for that matter. He just shouldn’t be thinking about it right after- “No, don’t think about it either”. His hands had made his way up to his hair, gripping the purple strands tightly even if he couldn’t feel any of the movements he was doing. Perks of being anxiety, he supposed.

He needed a plan of action, Virgil realized, since it was probably really early in the morning. Not that that had ever stopped him from doing anything, but none of the others were awake. He usually would just go up to Logan. They had slowly but surely gotten closer, and the nerd was definitely big help when it came to deconstructing his ridiculous nightmares. He was more than anxious the first time they talked about it, Virgil remembered clearly. But Logan had been nothing more than helpful, and understanding. He respected his boundaries, under the condition that neither of them would judge the other for being up until 5 am. Today, though, Specs seemed to have wrapped up his work early, so he wasn’t going to wake him up, even if he insisted it was alright, his thirst for knowledge making recording Virgil’s nightmares therapeutic for the both of them.

Next on the list was Roman. Even if they still fought constantly, now it looked more like playful banter, rather than harmful insult throwing. And they hang around, sometimes. It still felt somewhat awkward, but they would meet in the common room from time to time and silently give each other company, each of them doing their own thing. So when he felt particularly embarrassed of his more darker dreams, he would find the prince conveniently binge watching some new show on Netflix. Virgil could sense his uneasy aura, basically expelling self-hatred and negativity, and he would carefully sit by his side on the floor, steal the remote from him, and switch it around until he found some light headed crap that could distract the both of them. No questions asked, just understanding company, until they both felt tired enough and fell asleep against each other, where they would stay until any of the others woke up.

Deceit was always an option too. Despite the hate they were forced to act out in Thomas’s videos, they were actually good friends, almost brothers. The snake face sure was terrifying when they were kids, but it was very soft, when Virgil finally gathered his courage to touch it. He would usually be the first one to sense Anxiety’s well, anxiety, and would slitter his way into his room to help him out, a book always under his arm so he could read out loud to him. His fondest memories always had Deceit present, a gentle smile on his lips as he cooed him back to sleep, his gloved hands skillfully scratching his scalp. Virgil would always find him all curled up around him in his snake form on a loose embrace, his snake tongue hissing softly every time he breathed. It was a very cute sight to wake up to.

The only nights he didn’t appear was when Remus needed his assistant too, or when the trash man insisted on helping Virgil. He was more of Deceit’s friend than his, but he could tolerate his existence, on most days. Not that he had any bad intentions, that was very clear from the beginning, but he would accidentally spike Virgil’s anxiety when near, after a bad night. They had both found it the hard way when he skipped after Deceit this one time, always a curious child at heart. Remus had popped up in his room, and simply his presence, mixed in with the sheer power of his room, was so much to bare that Virgil immediately passed out, taking Thomas along with him. He did try to apologize, clearly regretting his impulsive behavior, turning into all sorts of zany things whenever he was around, but unfortunately, it didn’t work. Virgil was wary of him of the rest of the week, clearly avoiding him, and in the end, Deceit simply couched the green side to try a more calm approach, resulting in a silly drawing appearing in the dark side’s room. It was a simple thing, a poor attempt with crayons of Remus hugging him, in what appeared to be his corner of the Imagination, from what he could deduce from the tall, gloomy tower on the background and all the lightning. Still, he appreciated his gesture, and after every time Deceit visited, some drawing would pop up in his room, Remus attempt at comforting him. He would always keep them, pining them on a little cork board he kept hanging on the wall by his bed, thanking him afterwards by watching a conspiracy video with him, or some manageable horror movie.

But he had quickly learned he wasn’t the only one with frequent nightmares. It seemed to be something the younger sides shared between themselves, from what he gathered from Roman, Remus and his own feelings. He wasn’t totally sure Roman had shared that information with the rest of the light sides, and he only half understood why. The moment was never good enough to question him on that, so he respected his boundaries for the time being. On the other hand, Remus wasn’t so closed in on himself as his brother. He would ask for help from whoever would give it to him, usually Deceit, since he was somewhat of a protective figure for the dark sides. So one day, the three of them had created some sort of system, to make sure none of them were alone when needed. Virgil had agreed that if Deceit hadn’t shown up by the time his fight or flight instincts had kicked in, then that simply meant he was helping Remus that night. No other icky tricky reasons behind it. The snake side had also made him promise he wouldn’t be alone if that happened, compelling Virgil the best he could to go to one of the light sides for help. He had complained to no end about it, but he hated to break promises, so only did as he was told.

From the very clear lack of his friend’s presence, that meant this must have been a really bad night for Remus too. In the middle of his still fuzzy mind, he hoped beyond hope that Roman’s twin hadn’t tried to hurt himself this time. He would find out for sure in the morning, but it still dried up him mouth from thinking what had happened last time…

He took in deep breaths, grounding himself. Remus was fine, and so would he be. If he decided on who to go to… He really didn’t want to wake any of them up, if they were all resting peacefully. He had already ruled Roman out, hoping he wasn’t suffering like the rest of the young sides, and he also preferred not to find out if he was. He knew for a fact Logan had been working all day and must have been utterly exhausted if he was sleeping at a normal time for once. He assumed Deceit and Remus must have been together in the dark corner of Thomas’s mind, since he couldn’t feel neither of their presences. That only left Patton.

Now, don’t get him wrong! He loved- liked Patton very much! And he did take several naps all throughout the day, so interrupting his sleep would be less bad than waking any of the others, from a logical standpoint. He just… believe me, Virgil flushed every time he remembered last time he had gone to Patton’s room. Despite all the pastel colors and plushies, Morality’s room bugged him to no end. He felt bare, like he was completely naked whenever he tried to go hang out with him. Probably would feel less embarrassed if he actually did that. Because you see, Virgil felt impossibly small when alone with Patton. Everyone knew the cardigan lover was the child of the group, but the strong paternal feeling he acted upon every time Virgil seemed defenseless was almost overwhelming. And like it was something he only did for Virgil. If you asked him, he would ramble on for hours how sweet and kind dad Patton was, how understanding and calm he became when Virgil needed help. It made him feel okay in seconds, and then comfortable, as he wrapped him in the softest blankets. In the privacy of Patton’s room, Virgil had called him Dad more than once, and he meant every single one of them; not joking, not even once. And that scared him to no end. Even if Patton didn’t mind it, actually smiling more when he did it, he shouldn’t do it. It was weird! He felt like a literal child around him when they were all ground ass adults, and he wasn’t totally sure Patton was aware of that. Well, at least until last time…

Virgil buried his face in his hands, his shame muffling down most of the panic. He did silently thank Patton for not bringing up the situation, but he knew he was curious about it. Who wouldn’t if you shapeshifted into a child out of nowhere? No one knew about it, not even Deceit, but his form simply changed into what he was feeling. It had happened before, in the privacy of his room, mostly when they were still mostly afraid of him. But that was during their adolescence years, and that had been a long time ago. He thought he had stopped being weird when they all accepted him. Virgil guessed this was only a reason why they shouldn’t have done that in the first place.

Still, he needed to face Patton. He was starting to feel really guilty over the whole situation, mostly because he had kept his secret, even if he didn’t ask him to do it. Virgil just didn’t know how to do it. Face him. Should he pretend like nothing had happened, or should he explain? He risked losing his Dad if he did go with the second option, but honesty was best here…

“Guess I’ll figure it out on the way there”, he decided, tiptoeing his way up to Patton’s bright blue door. It felt to him like he had taken hours to get there, every squeak and whine of the boards under his feet making him hold his breath, waiting for the angry yells that never came. The eerie quiet of the morning wasn’t helping him when it came to what he should do, but he definitely just didn’t want to be alone right now.

Before he realized it, he had reached his destination. Patton’s door seemed to glow in the dark, and it probably did, knowing the experiences he had with glowing paint. It had been a mess when he innocently brushed a thin layer of his special paint over Logan’s glasses. His sole intention was so that he could find them in the dark after he woke up, but the father figure hadn’t predicted the nerd would be so attached to his frames. He did apologize for overreacting once he found out Patton had been smart enough to create a paint that was safe to use on most things, that wasn’t flammable or scented, only really flickering to life once the owner of the object was aware of his surroundings; a soft, soothing light. Logan found it of great use once tested, and had shown his regrets by doing most of Patton’s chores on the next day. Most of, because Patton still couldn’t handle letting him do it all by himself.

The pressure of his beating heart quickly brought him back to reality. Just nervousness, not yet panic. He would decide what to do by Patton’s reactions, even if he hated to act without thinking all the possible scenarios. Still, he slowly inhaled, focusing on the warm feeling of his Dad’s aura. It should be okay. It will be okay.

And so, he grabbed the handle and opened the door gently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also! English is not my first language, so don't be afraid of letting me know if you see any mistakes!


	2. Chapter 2

One thing you easily learn is that Patton is very sensitive. Not just emotionally, but physically as well. Any slight change in a familiar smell, or a sudden sound would make all the tiny hairs in his body stand up. He would also very clearly show it through his facial expressions, so most of the sides were actually very understanding, making sure they didn’t ticked him off on purpose, even if that still happened sometimes, when the heart was distracted enough.

So you can imagine what he must do to fall asleep. He had to have his very specific light plugged in, not too bright, not too dim. The temperature also had to be perfect, his room stocked with all types of blankets, plushies and pillows. The final touch every night would be his treasured ear plugs. Morality always found it weird, how his ears seemed to be more susceptible than the others’, but only when it was convenient, like they had tiny minds of their own. He could hear any type of electronic device working, like the electricity running through the lights above his head, even if none of the other sides could. He could identify who was walking around just by the way their footsteps sounded, or who was talking, even if they were in different rooms. But then he also wouldn’t be able to hear things the others did. He could focus so hard on something, everything else stopped. He could listen to his thoughts so clearly he would get lost in conversations with the others, and sometimes, they would be so slow, he could only process what any of the other sides was saying after they had repeated themselves more than once.

It was debilitating, how he was able to faintly hear his tiny light working when turned on, how he could hear Roman snoring softly on the room next to his, even if there were walls between them. During the day, he would be able to hear the tv on the ground floor and all the sides walking around. They were such small noises, in the comfort of his room, but sometimes they overwhelmed him. It was silly, but everything would amplify, and his brain would work overtime to understand things that should come easy to him. He’d quickly lock himself in his room, all lights out and under a blanket to protect him from the world. He’d cry a river from the shame he felt, for hiding it from the others, but once it was over, he wouldn’t have any energy left to move from his safe haven.

Thankfully, today wasn’t one of those days, and when nighttime came, Patton slipped onto the comfort of his bed easily, ear plugs in place and falling asleep almost instantly. Although, he could still hear faintly, even with them on, so he was lightly shaken from his slumber when Virgil opened the door, frowning from the confusion and from not being able to see.

\- Who’s there? – he asked softly, not wanting to move from his position, but wanting to make sure they were okay.

Patton did turn around when no one replied, taking out one of his ear plugs and briskly putting on his glasses, his brow furrowing deeper when he caught a glimpse of Virgil.

\- Kiddo? Why are you up at – he turned to look at his clock – 2 in the morning?

He saw him fidget with the zippers on the sleeves of his jacket, his whole stance stiff and wary as he kept quiet. Really bad nightmare then.

\- It’s okay, I’m not mad – Patton reassured him, slowly sitting up and making room for him on the bed. – Wanna close the door and come here?

There was a long pause, but he patiently waited, watching as Virgil looked back at the hallway one last time before closing the door. He didn’t step closer, however, and that worried the father figure. Something was off.

\- Vee? – he called out, seeing him flinch slightly. – Want me to come to you?

\- Yes- No, wait – the dark side quickly replied, hiding his face in his hands again. – I don’t know.

Patton still smiled warmly at him, trying to be encouraging as he shuffled back to his bed.

\- That’s okay. Wanna talk about something then?

Virgil snapped his head up to look back at him, his eyes wide in a sudden moment of confusion.

\- Ah, n-not that I know that you want to talk about something! If you want to talk about something – Patton groaned, playing with the ends of his shirt. – You just look like you’re about to explode. But you don’t have to if you don’t want to!

The younger simply stared, blinking at him before a snort made his way through, his body language relaxing slightly.

\- It’s okay, Pat. – finally he took a step closer, then another, dodging all the things Morality kept scattered across the floor until he was face to face with him. – I’m okay.

Even he could tell Virgil was lying, but he wasn’t going to stress him out by ripping the truth out of him. At least not right now. So he giggled instead, spreading out his arms.

\- So you came here in the middle of the night for some Dad Hugs? I could give out some now, if that’s what you’re looking for.

His cute hands curled and uncurled, his whole body soft and welcoming no matter how Virgil looked at him. He realized on that moment that he wanted a hug right now, so bad. No, scratch that. He _needed_ a hug right now. Screw the voices and their lies, or all the explanations he had to give Dad. Those could happen later when he had slept and woken up surrounded by Patton. Besides, it didn’t look like Patton would be all that bothered if he went in and took it, so he leaned down and very carefully wrapped his arms around him, trying to hide his eagerness while doing so. He could swear he heard a purr before Patton’s arms were around him too, comfortingly bringing him closer as he buried his face on Virgil’s shoulder. It only took them a couple of seconds to realize that this probably wasn’t the most comfortable position, with him leaning down and Dad reaching up. So Virgil tried not to think too much of it as he sunk down onto his soft mattress, none letting go of the other. Patton only smiled and shifted around, actually coming closer as his hands pressed flatly against his back.

It was like a powerful drug was rushing through his veins. The longer they hugged, the more Virgil relaxed, his body becoming like melted butter as his conscious shifted and drifted away. He didn’t actually fall asleep, but his tiredness hit him full force.

Watching as he yawned discreetly into his hand, Patton decided to speak again, rubbing his hands against his back so he would have some type of warning.

\- Wanna sleep here for the night? – he immediately felt his cheeks heat up at the shocked look Virgil gave him, suspecting what might have been going through his mind. – Don’t be nasty. It’s just your old Pop. We can cuddle and share the bed for the night! I promise it’s not weird.

Anxiety still took a moment to consider, but his tired mind wouldn’t let him think, making him resource to his playful façade to end the predicament.

\- Why not? Just don’t attack me during my sleep.

He really hadn’t mean it, at least not like it should be taken considering the context, but thankfully Patton was too innocent to get most jokes, even if he was quickly catching up. Virgil did his best to shake off those thoughts as he lied down on the mattress, coming face to face with a small sheep plushie and feeling his self-control slipping between the cracks as he reached for it and held it in his hands.

\- Why would I attack you? – Morality asked, before realizing he was staring intensely at his plushie and giggled quietly, biting his tongue to muffle it as he lied down next to him. – You like them?

Virgil seemed to snap out of his trance with that and stared at him with wide eyes, having been too focused on the soft synthetic fur of the animal to really notice when Patton had started staring at him. His first instinct was to lie, to deny it with all his being and throw the stupid sheep across the room and away from him, but he couldn’t do that. Not when his daddy was looking at him with such caring eyes, genuine curiosity in his questions.

-Mhm – he hummed shyly, ripping his gaze away from Patton in a sudden moment of shame.

\- Hey, that’s okay – the heart replied, a gentle smile on his lips as he scooted closer, carefully pulling the covers over them both. – Wanna cuddle them for the night? I really don’t mind it.

The dark side looked unsure only for a second, and then very slowly, brought the tiny sheep closer to his chest, smiling innocently down at it.

\- Can I really? – he still made sure of asking, receiving a firm nod and a giggle as a reply, Patton now much closer than what he last remembered him being.

\- Under one condition.

His smile immediately dropped. Of course there was a condition, nothing is ever given for free, you stupid idiot.

\- I get to cuddle my kiddo for the night instead.

Virgil looked taken aback from his statement, even if Patton had mentioned cuddles before. Hugs were a thing between them and he knew cuddling was basically the same thing, but he had never really cuddled with anyone. Sure, there was Deceit, but he had mostly done that with him while he was in his snake form and he was pretty sure it was different when both parties were people.

\- If you’re okay with that – Patton quickly added when he saw the doubt in his eyes, rubbing his arm in what he hoped was a comforting manner.

\- I-I’d like to try that – Virgil replied eventually, his voice sounding much weaker and fragile to his ears. – Uhm, please.

Morality frowned slightly, hoping he wasn’t reading his words wrong. It implied his kiddo wouldn’t have cuddled with anyone else before. Whatever was the case, it was an issue for morning Patton to resolve. Now, sleepy daddy Patton just wanted to make sure Virgil got his rest for the night, making sure every single one of his movements was slow and calculated to not spook his dark son away. They made it work, somehow. When Patton first got closer, the other side looked a bit shaky, hugging the little sheep closer to him, but he was patient and carefully wrapped his arms around him, over his tightly folded arms, loosely embracing him. He didn’t tug him closer nor pressed any further from his position, leaving a small, comfortable space between them. The warmth was fueling his sleepiness by the second, so much so that he didn’t even notice he still had his glasses on until he felt them being pulled away from his face, one heavy lidded look showing Virgil dropping them off on a safe place, like his frames were the most important thing for him in the whole world. Patton went to thank him, but a yawn made its way through instead.

\- Let’s go to sleep now, okay? – he smiled wearily, feeling his body sinking into the bed as his words slurred together. – I’ll keep you safe from nightmares, so you can relax, kiddo.

In his age regressed mind, Anxiety believed in him without question, shyly shuffling closer and tucking his head under Patton’s chin before he could think too much of it, the sheep still tightly pressed against his chest.

\- Thank you, Dad.

Was all he could manage to say before his sleepiness finally kicked in, rocking him into a dreamless rest. You couldn’t say the same for the other side, though. Virgil’s soft voice and attitude made his heart warm up like it was under the summer sun, dancing in his chest as he kept his squeaks inside. Solely repressing his reaction shook him awake again, but he didn’t regret it.

Watching his son sleep peacefully was the best thing he had seen all day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are very much apreciated. Anything at all, really <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just a itty bitty kind of a mess. I did my best, but i dont know how to write at least half of the sides that i shoved in there, so if anyone looks out of character its because of that. Im also still trying to work around the whole logince dynamic and there's not enough source material to study so i can do it ;-;

The moral side was only half surprised by waking up on his own, his body clock somehow so precise he always got up exactly at 6 a.m. sharp. It was extremely convenient, since he could simply get up and fix breakfast for everyone before they woke up, but also somewhat of a nuisance when he wanted a lazy day for once in his life. One pleasant surprise, he registered while stretching in bed, was how Virgil was still there. He’d usually be too embarrassed to stay in Patton’s room until said side woke up, and he never thought too much of it, knowing that the voice in his head probably nagged him a lot over it. Virgil had never slept with him on the bed, however. He’d usually insist on taking the couch or on sleeping on the floor, so Patton was actually more concerned about his unconscious form still breathing softly, little Fluffy, the sheep, trapped in his arms. A lot of things were changing, and he tried to think of how to react to them while reaching for his glasses, figuring he simply didn’t know and that he’d just ask Virgil about it when he woke up.

Another pleasant surprise ripped a gasp out of him when his eyes got used to seeing again. His tiny angel was, well, actually tiny. The more he looked at Virgil, the more he was sure his eyes were failing him, finally. He was still sound asleep, but he had shrunken somehow. Patton carefully sat up, watching his son from above, taking in the side better. His purple hair was disheveled against the pillow, his mouth slightly parted as he drooled a little over his hand. For once, his makeup was off on his face, making him look like a pale ghost from its contrast against his soft baby cheeks. If Patton had to guess, Anxiety seemed to be a child again, around the 10 year old mark. At least that’s how Patton remembered him to look like, when he first showed up in the mind palace, much more nervous and twitchier than he was right now. Plus the different clothes; his new hand-sewed jacket remaining the exact size it had last time he saw it, completely drowning Virgil’s tiny body.

It didn’t matter anyway, Morality thought casually, gently crawling out of the bed and covering his kiddo back again, surprised to notice he didn’t even stir. It was too much of a precious sight to witness, and deep down, he was glad to see the former dark side still trusted in him enough to shapeshift around him, even if he did so without realizing. The sheer horror and panic that he remembered experiencing second hand due to the last time this had happened made his soft heart ache with guilt. Maybe that’s why he came into his room last night, for all he knew. They could always talk during breakfast, Patton decided with a small smile on his lips, as he skipped his way to the kitchen.

His mind kept working while he mixed all the right ingredients in a bowl. He definitely found it a bit odd, to shapeshift into other ages, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why he found that odd, so he quickly dropped that thought. It must have been fun, to do that, or Virgil simply recalled something from his first appearance and so his body followed him.

His curiosity sucked him in so deep that by the time he had registered something smelled funny, he had a rushed Logic turning off the stove in front of him, staring deep into his eyes.

\- Patton – he called, his breathing a little labored from the scare he had given himself – Please pay more attention to your surroundings while handling cooking appliances, especially those that involve fire.

The heart watched him in slight confusion, until he saw Logan dispose of the burnt pancake on the trash, a small trace of worry still in his features.

\- Sorry! – Patton quickly apologized, giggling sheepishly. – Got too deep in thought.

\- That I realized- Logan sighed, returning the frying pan back to its previous spot, handling the batter so he could remake Patton’s attempt.

Said side tried to take the things off his hands, promising he could handle breakfast now, but Logan wasn’t buying his excuses, not backing away even when Patton decided the best course of action was to “attack him with love” until he let go of the skillet. By the time he had fallen silent, the logical side had managed to make enough pancakes for two people, working around the kitchen like he didn’t have a grown adult attached to his hip.

\- Is everyone joining us for breakfast today? – Logan asked, already calculating some of the sides would sleep in until longer, and pondering if he should keep going.

Patton thought for a moment, tapping his lips with his index.

\- Virgil will definitely be sleeping past breakfast today. Don’t know about the others.

He slowly let go of the oldest side, pouting a little even if he was the one that had decided to part.

\- Could you possibly go check their rooms? I’d like to know the exact amount I should be baking.

Morality nodded and giggled to himself, ruffling Logan’s hair and successfully ripping a shriek out of him.

\- I’m so proud.

Logic frowned as he grumpily tried to fix his hair, arranging his tie next even if Patton hadn’t come near it.

\- Don’t be silly. I’m simply making sure everyone’s health is kept to upmost condition, since I’m awake most of our companions are simply too sluggish to do it from themselves.

\- That’s exactly why I’m proud – he smiled wide, slipping out of the room before he could be told otherwise.

While Patton softly made his way up the stairs, the best intentions in mind, Roman lurked in the shadows, having watched the whole exchange unfold. The royal worried his bottom lip between his teeth, his mind railing as he peeked inside the kitchen, observing Logan’s back as he reached for different cups and glasses, preparing everyone’s favorite choices. His heart burned warm when Logan held his favorite mug in his hands, his breath itching when he noticed the soft look he directed at the porcelain covered with the drawings of all the Disney princesses. The prince admitted he had been jealous of his dear Patton, of the way he could hold Logan without any hesitation or second thoughts, completely desperate as he watched them interact like a married couple. He should realize that spying on people was very rude of him, but he couldn’t help it every time he heard Logan’s stern voice. The sound of it was like a harmony in his ears, rocking him gently into calm and tranquility as the air light up around him. Roman was more than aware that he was hopeless and utterly fixated on Logan, reeling from any type of attention the side would give him, which most of the time resulted in unfortunate fights he didn’t intend on causing.

The Prince was so focused on his own thoughts and feelings for the nerd right in front of him that he didn’t notice the amused gaze Deceit had been casting his way, for quite some time now.

\- What are you doing, Roman? – he slithered right by his ear, content with the high pitched yelp that he had caused.

At the commotion, Logan turned around to look at the two of them, the only show of surprise he directed in their way being his slightly wider eyes, his rigid posture returning to the usual when he processed the sight.

\- Please refrain from screaming, Roman. Virgil is resting still.

Princey bit his lip, stepping into the kitchen in shame for being scolded first thing in the morning. It didn’t stay for long, however, quickly looking exasperated to hide it.

\- It was not my fault! – he whined, holding back the need to stomp his foot. – Deceit was being a tricky snake!

\- Oh my, what a clever insult – Dee replied, smirking a little, his gloved hands smoothly drifting in the air to add to the show. – I’m not the tricky one here, little Prince. After all, I was not the one spying on Logan.

Roman’s eyebrows shot up, panic crossing his face as he tried to come up with an excuse.

\- I was not--!

\- What did I say about screaming? – Logan quickly shot him down, rubbing his temples. – Since you’re so energetic, why don’t you direct some of it on being useful? Set the table, will you?

The logical side only realized the sharpness in his tone after speaking, his chest aching from the way Roman flinched and deflated, not even doing the effort of putting on the show as he handled what was prepared already and carried it to the table. Deceit shot him a look, his snake eye seemingly piercing through Logan’s soul, and he pretended none of it bothered him as he turned back to the stove.

Just as he did so, Patton reappeared, Remus closely after him and already blabbering to no end about the most nonsensical things. The moral side seemed to be slightly uncomfortable at his words, but still listened as he went on, enduring his shenanigans until Deceit came to save him.

\- Patton made you pancakes and bacon, dear.

Morality frowned at the lying side, watching curiously as he flicked his wrist in the air, unknowingly, to the others, making the bacon magically appear only on the dark creativity’s plate.

\- What are you-

\- Really?! – Remus screeched, a sharp smile cutting through his face as he ran to the dining area, almost falling on his butt from slipping on his own socks. – Oops.

\- You man baby – Roman mumbled, having been the one close enough to prevent the disaster. – Be more careful, will you?

\- Sure thing! I’m just so excited! Patton is the best cook, you know?

Patton smiled warmly, helping Deceit and Logan carry the rest of the plates to the table and watching almost everyone gathering around it, quietly hoping Virgil was still resting.

\- Actually, LoLo helped me today! So you gotta thank him, not me.

There was a sharp gasp from Remus, and a roll of eyes from Roman, jealously coursing through him again at the affectionate nickname.

\- Mom cooked today?! I thought he’d never try it again after I made the microwave explode on his face.

\- Remus, please, I’m not a woman-

\- He’s totally not thanking you – Deceit said off handedly, sitting on his chair and gently tugging his trash son down to sit too.

Logan shot Patton a confused look, hoping for an explanation, but the heart only giggled at him as he took his seat, enjoying his pancakes quietly as he hummed. Everyone else followed when they saw him eat, digging into their respective breakfasts with varying degrees of intensity, Remus somehow managing to throw a knife at Roman’s forehead out of excitement and Deceit having to rein him in for it, while Patton hurriedly helped the fallen prince, only to hold him back once he regained consciousness. Logan simply sighed and sipped on his coffee, watching the chaos unfold around him as Patton cling to Roman’s arm to weigh him down, the royal still having the knife stuck in place as he ran after his brother, shouting unnecessary things.

\- Alright alright – Deceit said calmly, stretching all of his arms to hold the sides involved, with one of his free hands pulling the knife away from Roman and dropping it on his plate. – Patton doesn’t enjoy seeing you two fighting, no matter how entertaining it actually is.

The Creative Twins both looked at Patton, who seemed slightly distressed from suddenly being the center of attention. Deceit’s gentle grip on everyone remained as he made Roman hug Remus and returned the moral side to his seat, smiling slightly at the way Princey didn’t actually seem to mind holding his brother despite everything.

\- Sappiness aside, let’s finish breakfast, shall we?

He quickly returned everyone to their places and retreated his arms, taking in Logan’s intense look as a thank you for sorting the commotion. Eventually the sides ate their breakfast, each parting their own ways and leaving Patton to do the dishes, much due to his stubbornness. The logical side didn’t even try to push the matter, knowing he wouldn’t win after helping Patton earlier. And so he left him to his own devices, pondering on his schedule for today. There weren’t any pressing matters at hand, since he had dealt with most of his issues the previous day, distractedly smiling at his productivity, a sense of pride in his chest. Then and there he decided to take the day off, marveling on what new book he should read today or what documentary he should watch. He kept an attentive look ahead as he thought, not wanting to risk bumping into any of his friends, but as he made his way to his room, his mind came to a halt, eyeing Roman’s door. The logical side knew he had been a bit too harsh on the prince earlier, but judging by his reactions to Deceit’s accusations, the snake must have been telling the truth then. And it left an icky, heavy feeling in his chest, knowing the royal was watching him without his knowledge on the matter. Logan had assumed their relationship had been improving, by the dashing smiles Roman threw his way or how he seemed to seek Logan’s attention when they crossed each other’s paths. He quickly shook his head, dismissing the emotion. He didn’t have enough data to conclude Princey was upset with him, ergo he wouldn’t assume until talking to him about the issue. Nodding at the most logical way of thinking, he improvised and softly knocked on the dark red door, hearing the echo of it startling the owner of the room as various papers seemed to fall to the ground, followed by a groan.

\- Who is it?- Roman called, letting his annoyance slip into his voice.

\- It’s Logan – he replied, somehow unsure, reaching a hand up to adjust his glasses. – May I come it?

There was a short silence, then the familiar thumping of Roman’s boots approaching the door and slowly opening it. It was funny, Logan realized, how despite being facets of the same personality, the prince seemed slightly shorter than himself.

\- My room is a bit of a mess, Specs – he said, standing on the gap between the door and the frame to stop his crush from peeking inside.

\- It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I still wish to enter, if you’ll allow me.

Roman looked taken aback, assuming the more responsible out of the two of them would yell at him for not tiding up. Especially after the way he spoke to him earlier, he assumed the logical side had been in a bad mood, or possibly even disgusted for having to be around him. It was the most likely scenario, since he had acted like his normal self while Patton was around. He should be visiting Patton’s room if he wished the company so much.

\- Why do you want to come in so badly? – he blurted before he could stop himself, biting the inside of his cheek at his carelessness.

Logan seemed unfazed, maybe a bit guilty as he looked at the wall, the icky feeling slowly creeping back. Roman was definitely bothered with something.

\- Apologies. I do not wish to intrude. I simply, had this – he waved his hand in the air, looking for the best word to describe it – urge, lets say, to see you.

When he tried directing his gaze back at Roman, his cheeks were slightly pink, and his body language more tense, instead of relaxed and confident.

\- W-What are you saying, you. Are you trying to joke here?

\- No – he stated firmly, disorientated by his reaction. – I’d like to “hang out”, if you’ll have me. I won’t pry further if you don’t desire the same.

They seemed to be confusing each other, because Roman kept being defensive, not believing on the nerd in front of him. Logan had very little patience and sighed softly, feeling the weight on his chest grow as he stared at the floor. Offering company usually worked with Virgil when he didn’t look to be having a good day and he conclude that, since the prince seems to share some of his more nervous tendencies, even if hidden, that the same course of action would be adequate. He was wrong, it had turned out.

\- My apologies then.

He turned to leave, taking a step away as Roman shocked himself back to the present, reaching for his arm and keeping him in place. His mouth opened to say something, but all words escaped him as Logan turned around, studying the hand holding him in place with curiosity. He looked so cute.

\- Roman?

\- Y-Yes.

\- Yes to what—

\- Yes. I-I want you to hang out with me.

Logan’s shoulders relaxed and he wondered when they had become tense, his gaze turning soft as he stepped closer; Roman still hadn’t let go of his arm.

\- This shall be ideal. What activities do you suppose we should partake in?

Roman blinked, looking unsure as he brainstormed for a moment. In the meantime, he let go of Logan’s arm in favor of crossing his own over his chest, concentrating so hard he didn’t even realize the disappointed look he gave him in return.

\- I have a couple of ideas – he said with a shy smile, a rare sight on him. – Just get in and get comfortable, nerd.

With that, he ran inside his room, gathering all of his future projects and papers with a snap of his fingers, making everything disappear into his closet as he crouched around to grab the few scattered clothes or art materials he might have abandoned on the floor. Logan carefully stepped into the room, quickly coming to the conclusion he had rarely been here in such a private setting, his memories of Roman’s little corner of the mind always remoting back to issues related with Thomas or with his videos. It made his throat dry, an annoying itch settling at the back of his mouth.

The prince looked at him as the nerd stiffly closed the door, struggling to hide a snicker.

\- What seems to be so funny?

\- You – he cut himself out, covering his mouth as his boisterous laugh made his way through. – You look so nervous! Relax, enjoy yourself!

He did everything except relax, as Roman’s genuine smile was directed at him. He could feel his brain short circuiting, his eyes playing tricks at him as a glitter filled aura surrounded the prince, vaguely aware that his chest felt warm. It was happening again, it seemed like, the strange emotion that plagued him. Maybe he should conduct another set of tests on the paint Patton had used on his glasses, just to be sure. It could possibly have been toxic, after all, by the strange reactions his body was having.

When he received no reply, Roman simply walked around Logan and pushed his back, throwing him off balance and making him fall on his bed, igniting another fit of giggles at the lost look his friend gave him, glasses slightly askew.

The logical side could tolerate almost everything, except being perceived as a joke. As Roman kept laughing, he tried to dismiss that possibility, straightening his glasses and passing his hands through his clothes, before sitting neatly at the end of the bed, looking anything but comfortable. At last the laughter died down, and the prince joined him on the bed, jumping and taking the spot next to him, arms stretched back to hold his weight.

\- Man, I hadn’t laughed like that in ages! You have such cute reactions, Logan.

The side in question blinked and stared in disbelief at the royal, not totally sure if all his thoughts had come to a halt due to being called cute or because Roman had used his name for once. It was a shame, really, how he preferred the playful nicknames over simply calling him by his name. His voice always sounded so much softer when he announced it, Logan had realized, and the corners of his eyes would crinkle with affection as he faced him straight on. It was one of the many mysteries about Roman that Logan wished to know the answers for, only to give his troubled mind some peace.

From Creativity’s perspective, however, the logical side seemed to have been frozen in time, a slight frown on his eyebrows as he stared at him with cold eyes. The prince had come to associate that particular expression with his love being deep in thought, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that it still made him slightly uncomfortable. Maybe it was because Logan didn’t blink much while thinking. Oh well.

Before Roman could open his mouth to shake Logan back to reality, Thomas summoned them both.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup everyone! This chapter was being really feisty, so im proud to announce that my lovely partner is helping me out with these from now on! Big thanks to booperlovesdooper for being my beta reader. He said they were in character so im gonna trust him on that! Im almost back in college, so if i dissapear for a couple of months, dont worry. Im really fixated on this story, and i already have the next chapter all planned so y'all will have much more to read in the near future.
> 
> Also, fair warning, this one is much longer than the other chapters, so please bear with me.

In the meantime, Patton was done with the dishes and left them to dry on their own. Alone in the kitchen, he giggled to the adorable scene unfolding in from of Roman’s room. Even if he only caught bits and pieces, he could feel what they felt second hand, the shy love and affection soothing his own gentle heart. “Those two better get together soon or I’ll make them”, Morality thought to himself, smiling wide as he imagined how cute it would be to watch Logan cuddling Roman or vice versa.

Since Logic had only made breakfast for the sides that had showed up, Patton quickly made a small stash of pancakes for his dark son, and pondered for a second if he should make him a coffee too, before deciding against it. If he really was like a kid now, better not give him caffeine. Shrugging, he simply poured some orange juice into a glass and hoped Virgil liked it as he sank down with the food on his hands, not wanting to risk spilling everything on the floor by accident while walking up to his room.

When he rose up on his corner of the mind, everything was as he had left it, including Virgil, who hadn’t even moved an inch, still sleeping peacefully. You can imagine how conflicted Patton felt as he carefully placed the breakfast on the little bedside table. On one hand, he just wanted him to rest while he could, also in part so he could keep staring at him without making it weird. On the other hand, however, he also wanted to make sure his kiddo was alright and ate in time before it was too late for that. The heart whined and flopped to the ground, sitting cross legged by the bed. He couldn’t really see Virgil from this angle, since he was sleeping with his back turned to the edge of the mattress, but maybe that was helping him a little.

Morality focused really hard, closing his eyes and playing with the ends of his cat sweater distractedly as he hummed his own version of eeny meeny miny moe under his breath between his options, deciding that would be the best course of action. His little rhyme ended on the “not wake him up” choice and he sighed for having to let go of the other idea as he opened his eyes, taking a second to realize mismatched ones were greeting him, a green and a purple one shining with curiosity behind the sleepiness.

\- What are you doing on the floor? – Virgil said, yawning behind his tiny hand.

\- Oh! Uhm…

He didn’t know how to reply. This wasn’t part of the plan, none of it! Why were his eyes so pretty, what the heck?! Were they always like that, what was happening?!

\- Pat? – he asked, his amusement slipping into his tone as he watched his daddy look around the room, at the lost for words.

This was followed by Patton trying to speak some type of idea, but it sounded mostly like gibberish, mixed with all the squeaks that he let out in between words, so Anxiety just smiled sympathetically, ignoring him as he crooked his neck back to see the time. It was like a bucket of cold water was poured over him, all the sounds seeming muffled as he quickly sat up. It was 10 a.m. already! He had slept in, this couldn’t be happening!

His mind was racing, and he was aware Patton must have realized what was happening to some extent, because his expression changed slowly to one of concern. “I don’t have time for this!”, his mind yelled at him as he tried to jump off the bed. He needed to go check on Remus, he needed to know if-

His foot had caught on something and before he could process what was happening, his face was rapidly coming close to the floor. There was a loud thud, the rest of his body numb as he reached his hands to his aching nose. His ears were ringing and he could feel Patton’s hurried footsteps approaching him as he propped himself up. There was a warm hand on his back, a really big hand, and Virgil’s body reacted on instinct, making him flinch away from the touch, and fall on his butt as he stared at Patton. His eyes widened from how tall he suddenly looked, his mind quickly catching up and confirming his suspicions when his gaze landed on himself, noticing with horror how bulky his hoodie looked on him. His ears ringed louder and he reached up to rub at them, but the touch wasn’t helping at all. The only thing he could hear was the loud sob that was ripped out of his throat as unexpected tears rolled down his cheeks. Virgil’s body shut down as he cried silently, shaking violently. Remus was dead, wasn’t he? He hadn’t gotten there in time and now he was gone forever. And he was right there, paralyzed with fear because Patton had seen him in his little form. Pathetic.

Morality quickly blinked away the tears at the overwhelming wave of panic and despair that hit him, letting his dad instincts take over him as he firmly grabbed onto Virgil and hugged him close, rubbing his back. The hoodie was slipping out of his bony shoulders and his salty tears were turning the light blue of his shirt into a darker one as Anxiety trashed around, trying to free himself from the arms that should certainly reject him. Patton didn’t dare let go, only pulling him closer, blocking the dark emotions for a moment so he couldn’t lose control of the power of his room and possibly aggravate the situation.

\- It’s okay, kiddo, it’s okay – he heard himself say as his hand reached to gently pet Virgil’s hair, said side only sobbing louder in response.

He kept trying to slip away from him, Patton’s touch burning his skin through his clothes and making him feel impossibly hot, the sensation fueling the strength of his tears by the second. He couldn’t even form coherent thoughts now, only aware that he was crying and that he was tiny. His dad’s sweet words kept coming, but he could only feel how soft his voice sounded and it was like his soul was begging him to listen, to reach out and cling to those words. His throat was scratching, fiery claws digging into his neck as his vision turned more blurred, the string of sobs turning more desperate. He wanted to stop crying, but he couldn’t, the energy draining from his body.

Patton only showed him compassion through it all, keeping him so close Virgil could feel his heart beating. The most primal part of his function must have been more alert to any sort of tread that could pull him out of that state, because his hand was slowly lifting up without him realizing, dropping over Patton’s chest. The anxious side could almost sense his confusion as his crying safely calmed down; Virgil’s eyes staying fixed on the little heart symbol of the moral side’s shirt, the only thing he was aware of. The steady beat was like a lifeline on that moment, and he desperately clang to it, focusing on how it felt against his palm, focusing on matching his own with it.

After a couple of minutes, Virgil’s breathing was back to somewhat normal, his makeup completely ruined as his blood shot eyes ached from dryness. Patton let out a sigh of relief as the palpable tension around him melted, very carefully sitting on the floor, still not ready to let go of him. He felt more than watched Anxiety lifting his arms to pull the enormous sleeves back and away from his hands, but his own gently stopped him. The moral side silently cleared his confusion by summoning a wet washcloth, delicately dragging it over his pale face. All traces of tears and makeup disappeared with his care, showing Patton, to his own disbelief, that little light freckles were dotted all around his small nose. Virgil must have realized unconsciously that Morality knew about yet another secret, because he was hiding his face again, this time against his chest.

\- Hey, buddy – he cooed, returning a hand to his purple hair. – It’s okay, I promise.

\- N-No it’s not – came his muffled reply, followed by an attempt to dig his face further into his shirt, Patton’s scent actually calming him slightly.

\- Why wouldn’t it be okay? – the heart murmured after a short pause, trying to peek down at him. – I’d like to know why you started crying, yes, but that was a really big fall! And I can’t find any bad thing to say about your freckles, kiddo.

He felt Virgil’s tiny hands curling against his back, his best attempt at hugging him while still feeling guilty about the whole situation. Patton couldn’t be serious, it just wasn’t possible. He was only saying that to calm him down enough to send him back to his room, back to the darkness. He really didn’t want to see the shadows right now…

\- You’re gonna laugh – he eventually said, realizing he had gotten so lost in his own mind that he hadn’t replied.

\- I swear on my life I won’t.

His voice sounded so sincere, Virgil immediately looked up at him, shock written all over his face.

\- Don’t swear on your life! You- It- Ah!

Small fists held onto the blue fabric tightly, noting with frustration that his sleeves were going down his arms again, Patton’s earnest expression remaining.

\- Hey – he called out when Virgil looked away from him. – I just promise I won’t laugh. A dad promise.

He kept holding him while the hand that rested on the back of his head came in between them, leaving the anxious side feeling weirdly cold. His gaze didn’t focus on Patton right away, but his curiosity promptly got the best of him, his eyes landing on Patton’s chubby hand. The corners of his lips curled the tiniest bit when he saw the pinky standing tall and proud, the owner not far behind. Virgil tried to relax as he tugged his left arm back to himself, copying the gesture and linking their pinkies together. He barely had time to notice how smaller his hand actually looked in comparison to Patton’s before, he was waving their hands gently up and down, sealing their deal before taking Virgil’s hand onto his own, warming up his cold fingers.

\- Is that better?

There was a short nod, and then he was shyly holding onto Patton’s thumb, the warmth of his hand comfortably spreading through the rest of his body.

\- I-I… - Virgil started, slowly breathing in and out to control the stuttering. – I think Remus had a nightmare too.

His dad nodded as a way of acknowledging what he was saying, realizing on the spot that their minds were focused on very different issues. It didn’t bother him all that much, though, glad that, deep down, Anxiety trusted him enough to share with him his worries. Virgil gripped his thumb more firmly, the regret slowly crawling over his skin.

\- I think Dee was with him, and that’s why I came to you, but I should have gone see him in the morning. – He paused for a moment, feeling his eyes burning again. – He does bad things to himself when he has nightmares.

Patton’s throat went dry at the implications behind his whispered words. No wonder he felt so scared. He felt now too that he knew. To the best of his ability, Morality tried to reassure him, squeezing his little hand as he pressed a soft kiss on his forehead.

\- Thank you for telling me – a warm smile formed with his words. – I can’t say for sure, but he looked fine this morning. He came down for breakfast, and I think he was talking about octopuses or something like that.

He could _see _his son relaxing, pushing his grin to turn more genuine.

\- And Deceit was in his room when I went to check out on them – the hand on Virgil’s back patted him before reaching out to drag his hoodie back in place. – They looked like they were having a sleepover of some sort. There were pillows everywhere, that’s for sure.

The cutest giggle lighted the air around them, and mismatched eyes stared directly into his own. Patton’s smile only grew at that. The fear had completely vanished.

\- Thanks. For telling me about that.

Patton shook his head.

\- Don’t sweat about it, kiddo. Now – he jumped to stand on his feet, igniting a spark of fright out of Virgil by accident, even if he never let go of his hand. – Could you please get up too? I wanna see if you got hurt anywhere.

The anxious side smiled shyly, tugging a little on their joined hands as he got up as well. Having someone worry for you like this wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be.

\- I think I’m okay, Dad.

Patton felt his heart racing at the nickname, but decided to embrace the emotion instead of rejecting it. It wasn’t the first time Virgil had called him that, but he couldn’t help but react every time he did. Some part of him always hummed happily because of it, just feeling _right, complete, _like lost pieces were finally connecting again. He didn’t want to focus on it too much, either way, so he quickly looked around for something good enough to distract him from it, all other thoughts fleeing from his mind.

\- Aww, okay.

Suddenly, Virgil’s feet were off the floor and a quiet yell fell off his lips as Patton picked him up. The side only chuckled as he sat his tiny Virgil on the bed, handing him the plate he had brought, the pancakes long since cold.

\- They don’t look the nicest, but it’s still food! – he smiled shyly, playing with the ends of his sweater.

Anxiety was frozen in place for a second, staring down at the breakfast. He didn’t know how his daddy had managed to do it, but the pancakes in front of him looked like little cat faces, the one on the top of the pile having a pair of eyes drawn with maple syrup, along with some whiskers and a tiny nose. There was also a small pool of the syrup on the side, in case he’d want to dip the pancakes on it. It was a bit messy, and falling apart, but his chest felt light at the gesture. Plus he was starving. 

\- Thank you, daddy – his voice sounded slightly squeaky, his face instantly flushing for letting that name slip, so he quickly shoved half of a pancake in his mouth with his hands, regretting all his life choices immediately from how sticky the syrup felt against his fingertips.

Patton tried to hold it in, he really did, but his breathy laugh still made its way through, despite his best attempts at covering it up. That only made Virgil turn redder from how cute he looked, munching on his mouthful of pancake to distract him from the scene. He didn’t even feel bad for having Patton laughing at him, just happy he was lucky enough to hear it. n

\- I’m sorry, I-I’m so sorry – one last couple of giggles slipped before he was pulling his hands away from his mouth, briskly shaking them in the air to magically clean Virgil’s hands, a fork and a knife appearing – I knew I forgot something.

Then he reached for the glass, holding it in from of Anxiety’s face. He saw his conflicted look and his hands messily working to grab the utensils on only one of them, but he gently shook his head.

\- I’ll give it to you! Like – Patton pretended to drink from the glass, hoping that was enough of an explanation. – If I can do that.

Virgil looked nervous for some reason, the “daddy” still echoing in his head but he nodded shyly. The brightest smile appeared on his dad’s face, the cup coming closer to his lips and letting him take a sip. He wasn’t particularly fond on orange juice, but it tasted like delicious honey when Patton gave it to him with such a caring look on his eyes. The anxious side quickly downed the breakfast, letting Patton give him the juice until the glass was empty and a small pat on the head, once he finished eating.

\- You really killed those pancakes! – Morality chuckled, snapping his fingers to teleport the dishes to the sink on the kitchen, scaring the crap out of Remus, who had come down to get a snack.

There was a terrified yell as he ran away from there, the dark creativity calling out Deceit’s name while swearing the kitchen was haunted. His voice only quieted down after a whoosh, the snake side standing there in all his glory to drag his rat boy back to his room, explaining that Virgil was probably awake as they sank back down.

Patton stayed silent, completely forgetting the joke he was about to make as he listened to what he could from the dark sides, feeling slightly bad for scaring Remus.

\- Tasty cats – Virgil cut through his thoughts, licking his lips as a small smirk appeared.

Normally, the heart would giggle at any type of joke Virgil made, even the more darker ones. But this time, for some reason, instead of laughing, the butterflies in his stomach went crazy as he threw himself at him, clinging to his dark son and making him squeak. Virgil quickly relaxed against his touch, patting him on the back a couple of times until he let go of him.

\- Sorry – Patton smiled shyly. – I promise I’ll ask before touching you. I should have been doing that from the beginning.

\- It’s fine – he mumbled, not wanting to admit out loud how touch starved he actually was. Nor how much he loved Patton’s hugs.

Said side only giggled in response, rubbing his own arm and preparing for the mood to shift drastically at his own randomness. He couldn’t hold this back any longer.

\- Is it, fun? – Morality asked after a short silence. – Ah, shapeshifting into a kid, I mean. Uhm, I think you did it while you slept, and I got kinda curious.

He tried to not sound too excited, hoping Virgil would be honest with him. The face Anxiety gave him was definitely what he was expecting, sensing the slight fear that threatened to slip back in. Maybe he should have asked about this later, when he’d be sure Virgil wanted to open up to him about it. But then again, Patton didn’t know what had gone through the dark side’s head yesterday, so he couldn’t have figured Virgil very much wanted to tell him the truth, if only he himself knew what it was.

\- I-I don’t know – he waved his arms around, making his sleeves wiggle. – It just, happens. I mostly have no control over it.

\- Oh, okay – Patton nodded, rocking his legs back and forth without realizing. – Do you like it when it happens, though? Because… I don’t know if you know, but I’m the heart, y’know? Kinda.

Virgil watched him with his bright round eyes, tilting his head in confusion while Patton tried to put his thoughts in order.

\- What I’m trying to say is – there was a small cough. – I can feel what you guys feel. Ah, some emotions. I haven’t figured it out exactly, uhm…

He was full on fidgeting now, his fingers intertwining between each other as he tried to focus, resisting the urge to shift around on his seat.

\- I only know that, uh, l-last time- before you ran away - you were really scared. And ashamed, of yourself. And your feelings are valid, don’t get me wrong! But, uh, I don’t understand why. B-Because you must have your reasons to feel like that and--!

\- Daddy, breathe please.

Virgil was closer than he last remembered him being, his tiny hand gripping the sleeve of his shirt. Finally he noticed how twitchy he was, his hands shaking slightly from frustration. Yes, it was okay to be nervous, but he needed to reassure Virgil first; he could freak out later. Patton still agreed, not wanting to make his son worry for him, and took a couple of deep breaths, registering how better he felt afterwards. Anxiety thanked him in the privacy of his own thoughts, not thinking he could handle helping Patton without his stress accidentally dripping into him.

\- I get what you’re trying to say – he watched as Virgil brought his knees up to his chest, hugging his own legs lightly. – I just, don’t know. Don’t you think it’s weird?

\- Weird? – Patton frowned.

\- Yea – Virgil shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. – We’re adults, and I just turn into a kid sometimes, for no reason. And... – his cheeks turned a light pink. – A-And I want to have someone to watch over me and stuff.

Patton stayed quiet for a little while, thinking about what he just said, but not exactly judging him. It still felt tremendously long for Virgil, but this was Patton they were talking about. He was probably just thinking over everything he had just heard, that’s all. It was a lot to take in, after all. And he still found it weird, even if Patton didn’t seem to share that opinion with him. And he trusted him with his life, possibly even more than that. Maybe his age regressed mind was messing up with his belief system. 

\- I don’t have the answers you want, and I’m sorry for that. But I know you don’t need to feel ashamed, or scared – he slowly reached out, rubbing Virgil’s arm. – It’s just something that happens, like, er... sneezing!

There was a snort, and Anxiety looked slightly skeptical.

\- There’s reasons for sneezing.

\- You get what I mean! – Patton pouted a little. – And besides, I like taking care of you.

Virgil blinked, and frowned at him, the confusion only growing at the warm that spread through his chest.

\- You do??

\- Well, I mean – Patton fidgeted a little with his hands, but it was out of embarrassment, he could tell. – You know I’m the dad of the group. And it looks like I kinda bother everyone when I act on my dad instincts. Uhm, well, except with you.

Patton looked at him shyly, and noticed in amusement how red his son was actually getting, giggling to himself. He wasn’t the only one getting flustered, huh.

\- Aww~

\- S-Shut up – his words were empty as he buried his hot face on his knees.

\- But you like that I like taking care of you! I can feel it! – he pointed at his own heart excitedly, scooting closer to him.

\- I said shut up – his voice was weak with shame, but not in a bad way, squeaking quietly when Patton wrapped his arm around his shoulders, his head nuzzling into his.

\- Alright, I’m not gonna tease anymore. I’m just really happy that you trust me.

The hope suddenly glowed so bright in Virgil’s chest it actually burned a little, making him lift his head off his knees to look at Patton. The leap of faith was a really big one, but he was ready to take it.

\- C-Can I call you daddy then?

The moral side blinked, stuttering a little at the memory of searching for that word on Google. He thought he had repressed that one. Virgil’s eyes were still looking at him, the little glimpse of hope that he rarely saw in them. His dark son didn’t mean it like that, he was sure of it. And even if he did, there was a part of him that was willing of accepting that too. He’d do pretty much anything for Virgil. And besides, they were making such an incredible progress! He didn’t dare ruin it.

\- Of course you can. Anything your little heart desires – he cut him off before he could say anything. - And yes, I don’t mind. I’ll love any nickname you give me.

Softly, Morality wrapped his arms around Virgil’s fragile figure, watching with wonder as he relaxed into his touch. If they had to describe it, this felt like the calm _after_ the storm, tears and panic slipping from their memories as they embraced each other. Patton could really get used to this, but he kept that in, not wanting to make his son more embarrassed, or feeling like he owed him the cuddles. Instead, he peeked down at him, his chest warming up at the sight of Virgil’s easy smile, all bundled up in his hoodie.

\- I have an idea – he said, ignoring the pitiful look Anxiety gave him as he pulled away, watching as it turned into one of confusion while Patton untied his cat sweater. – We can change clothes!

He had never saw anyone get so red so quickly, and he soon realized what he said.

\- No- Not like that! – Morality pouted a little, shifting on his spot. – I meant, my sweater for your hoodie.

\- Oh.

Somehow, that seemed to only make it worst, Virgil’s body seeming like it was slowly disappearing even more inside his jacket. Why did he look so uneasy all of the sudden?

There was a loud sigh, and the sound of clothes shuffling as Patton twisted his sweater in his nervous hands.

\- It’s a little silly, but I promise I only don’t want you to trip again. And I thought that, if I gave you something to make you feel a bit safe still while not wearing your hoodie, it would be like petting two kitties with one hand.

Well, that idea coming from Patton actually made a lot of sense, but the confusion grew tenfold.

\- Er, it’s killing two birds with one stone, Pat.

\- Yes, I know, but I don’t like violence.

His lips curled more firmly and his eyes shone sadly, emphasizing his pout more. For just a second, Virgil truly believed he had hurt his dad because of the correction, but he shook his head to dismiss that thought, focusing on how annoying it actually was to keep such a big thing around himself. It was still his precious hoodie, and he still loved it, but he knew Patton would take good care of it. Anxiety didn’t even let the thing have its own dignity, shrugging it off his shoulders and letting it fall on the bed like he wasn’t giving his heart away. Under it, he used an old discolored purple t-shirt he wore to bed, trying not to think how pale his skin looked in contrast with the millions of freckles that littered his arms. Might as well show him all the secrets, since Patton had accepted all of them so far.

There was a gasp, and his mind rapidly started yelling at him that he had done the worst decision of his petty pathetic life, but it was quickly shut down when he felt the bed dip by his side, Morality leaning close to him as he gently tied his sweater around his neck, smiling proudly at the fact that it was just short enough to not mess up with his movements.

\- Thank you, kiddo. You keep that safe for me.

Patton’s voice was the softest he had heard in a while, a hint of excitement behind it, like when Virgil had first popped up in Thomas’s mind. The memory was bittersweet, but somehow highlighted this moment of pure vulnerability between them, Virgil’s tiny hands gripping carefully at the ends of the sweater as he smiled wide at Patton.

\- I will!

In turn, Virgil reached out and grabbed his hoodie, kneeling messily on the bed as he reached up and threw the jacket around his shoulder, like it was a protective blanket.

\- Uhm, I can’t wear it like this, Vee.

Patton giggled at the frustrated face he got in return for that comment, his stare following his actions as his kid grabbed one sleeve and tried to gently shove Patton’s arm in it. The moral side had to bite the inside of his cheek really hard to not invalidate Virgil’s efforts on that moment. He had laughed enough already for the rest of the day.

\- I-I can handle this, it’s okay.

His voice was airy, which gave away his amusement, but the dark side still let go of his most precious belonging, watching with fierce eyes Patton’s every movement, actually making him a little uncomfortable. Morality still pushed through, being extra careful as the material slid over his arms, hoping he hadn’t teared any of the yellow stitches open. Thankfully, he didn’t, or Virgil’s gaze would have gotten more intense for sure. He still held his breath as his son inspected his body, purple and green suddenly looking away as a wave of pure, sincere love washed through Patton, leaving Morality completely dumbfounded.

\- Y-You look okay – he said, patting Patton’s chest twice.

When his dad didn’t reply right away, his beating heart quickly turned frantic, somehow still remaining mostly calm as he made sure for himself that it hadn’t weirded him out. He looked back at him on the exact moment Patton brought up his hand and completely ruined his hair, a high pitched giggle sounding off as he tried to escape the attack.

\- Daddy! – he squealed in between laughs, finally slapping his hands away.

He heard Patton giggling with him as he retreated defensively, going to grab at the ends of his sweater and only processing he wasn’t wearing it anymore when he held the air. The automatic reaction, plus the soft feeling of the black fabric against his skin only doubled his giggles. No wonder he used it all the time. Anxiety was about to open his mouth to ask what was wrong, but his dad was picking him up before he could, holding him firmly against his hip as he secured him in place. Patton was aware he quickly needed to burn out this excited happiness before he choked himself in his own hope, but he had just the thing.

\- I just had the best idea. – he said, getting off the bed and truly realizing how light his son actually was.

\- Besides ruining my hair? – Virgil teased a little, noticing how much more easily he could move around now that his arms were free.

\- Shh, be nice – Patton replied, walking out of the door.

The safe and comforting ambience of the room was completely shattered as he stepped outside, but Morality made his way down the stairs without realizing the source of his panic. He only put him down when they reached the kitchen, hoping to ease his worries with his idea.

\- We’re gonna bake something together!

His arms were stretched in the air as he tried and failed to make Virgil excited about the situation, quickly noticing his uneasiness while lowering them.

\- Hey, what’s wrong? You didn’t like that I picked you up? – he asked softly, kneeling in front of his kid on the floor.

\- N-No, it’s not that – quickly came the reassurance, even if he was distractedly rubbing the places on his arms that Patton had touched.

Morality gave him a moment, staring at him in what he hoped was an encouraging way.

\- W-What if anyone sees us? – he replied eventually.

\- What do you mean?

\- I mean--! – he quickly cut himself off, realizing he was raising his voice. – I mean, the others. They could show up anytime and see me like this.

His hands tried reaching out for the zippers on his sleeves out of habit, but he quickly realized his mistake, biting his lip. He missed his jacket already. He was way too exposed and he didn’t like this at all.

\- Vee, it’s okay – suddenly Patton’s arms were on him again, and he was shocked to notice he didn’t mind the touch. – I think Logan and Roman went to help Thomas, because I couldn’t feel their presence. And Deceit and Remus must be playing together on one of their rooms. At least that’s what Remus told me they’d be doing.

There was a gentle pressure on the back of his head and then another kiss was pressed against his forehead. It was so ridiculous, how fast he melted at the attention.

\- We can go back to my room and do whatever you wanna do, if you prefer that.

Virgil shook his head, peeking shyly up at him. What little was left of his bigspace consciousness quickly slipped away and he wholeheartedly gave himself to Patton, trusting him to keep him safe.

\- I want cookies.

He saw the snort wrinkle his dad’s features, his hand gently fixing his hair for him. Yes, it had been left like a mess since he had tempered with it.

\- Me too. What do you say to chocolate chips?

He got off the floor and stepped closer to the cupboards, looking around and hoping he hadn’t eaten all of them last time he did cookies.

\- Uhm, yes, obviously. – Virgil replied timidly, turning his back to the door and standing close to his caregiver, waiting for the perfect chance to cling.

There was a cry of triumph, and he watched as Patton pulled a small bag of chocolate chips from the cupboard, his smile contagious as Virgil felt himself smile too, wrapping his arms around his waist in victory. He felt Patton freeze for a second, but soon after, there was a comforting hand on his hair. He could get so used to this.

\- Wanna help me out or you just wanna cling?

There was no malice on his voice, but Virgil didn’t really feel like choosing right now, so he simply shrugged a little. Thankfully, Patton quickly caught on what was happening and giggled, doing his best to open the bag without exploding its contents everywhere.

\- You can cling in the meantime. We can both put the cookies on the tray when they are done, how about that?

Virgil nodded enthusiastically, squeezing him a little as he nuzzled into his chest. Best idea ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone catch how many hcs i shoved onto virgil


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im back with the hot stuff, people! This chapter is full to the brim with people, so have lots of fun. Also, much gay. It wrote itself, I swear im innocent! My little prince booperlovesdooper really liked the logince on this one, so i hope you guys like it too :D
> 
> Ps, this one is also v long, so im sorry about that!

\- We were in the middle of something, Timmothy.

\- That’s not his name, Roman-

\- I _know_ that!

\- Then why did you-

\- I don’t need a reason to do things, Logan.

\- Guys?

There was a snicker from across the room, where Joan lied down on the couch, and when their eyes landed on Thomas, he looked equally amused. It wasn’t unusual that these two would immediately start fighting once he summoned them by themselves, but Roman looked particularly grumpy today. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a pout firmly in place, like you had just denied him his favorite treat. Both sides stood on their designated spots for filming, and Thomas watched them from the comfort of his sofa, laptop open and ready for a session of brainstorming.

\- Everything okay? – the host asked, trying to mask his smile.

\- Yea, I guess – Roman grumbled, stomping his way up to the nearest couch before flopping on the exact opposite end from where Thomas sat. He lied then.

Logan stayed behind, watching with confusion the living room and its occupants. Joan had sat up in the meantime, not wanting to be disrespectful while the others were around, and Thomas seemed to be in a good mood, despite the small bickering that the creative side had sparked between them. As for Roman, he was visibly upset by something, even if Logan couldn’t begin to imagine why. The prince had looked mostly happy back in the Mind Palace, and he’d never turn down a change to spend some time with Thomas. He knew that as fact from previous data gathered about the royal, from his reactions to the state of his well-being, before and after he was called by their host, for the most variant reasons. This was the first time he seemed bothered or irritable. Roman did love attention, after all.

\- You okay in there, buddy? – Joan’s voice echoed through the room, their eyes fixed on Logan. – I can hear your brain working from here. And you’re pretty far away.

\- That I know of, the human brain does not produce any sort of noise while a person is thinking. – came the response immediately.

Joan had to laugh at that, of course, only heightening Logic’s confusion.

\- It’s a figure of speech, Logan. Don’t think too much of it – Thomas said sympathetically, patting the free spot next to him as he locked eyes with his side.

Logan nodded to get across that he understood, even if the bewilderment lingered as he stepped closer. He took note of Roman’s behavior as he walked in front of him, the way his shoulders seemed to untense slightly as his gaze followed him shyly. The prince was mostly relaxed by the time the logical side had took Thomas’ invitation, knowing before hand that if he didn’t sit on the couch that their host would personally and physically drag him from him to do so.

\- Talyn’s on their way – Joan announced with a small smile, tapping their thumbs lazily over the keyboard to shoot them a reply. They couldn’t wait to see them.

\- Yas, full house! – Thomas smiled wide, crossing his legs under his laptop and over the cushions. – Think they can stay the night?

\- Hmmm, maybe. Let me check.

As they left Joan to arrange things, Logan turned to Thomas, eyeing his laptop without any reservation. His twitter page was opened, midway through his feed, a particularly cute fanart of Patton on display. Even if he was aware it wasn’t a picture of the real Patton, the image still made him feel at ease, possibly due to the more cartoony style of drawing the fan had adopted. It brought a smile to Logan’s lips that only Roman noticed, a flicker of his bitterness coming back.

\- Might we know why we are needed? – the royal chirped in, trying to not sound bothered while asking that. He finally had Logan all for himself, and he was losing him again to Patton! And a fake one this time!

\- Oh, right – Thomas chuckled, fixing his hair distractedly. – Joan got an idea for the next Sanders Sides video. And they thought you two would be the best to call for now.

Both sides showed their curiosity in different ways, Logan more discreetly as his eyes shone happily with the infinite possibilities ahead, and Roman in a much more extra way, as he’d say, by literally jumping off his seat, hands pressed to his own chest.

\- Finally, some chance for me to shine!

\- You were a judge on the last one, Roman. – Thomas said, his smile still in place. - I think that was pretty important.

\- Ugh, yea yea – he tried to agree, his arms falling by his sides. – But I wanna have a main role! Deceit took that from me on the court room.

Joan seemed to shrink against the couch, quickly playing it off as simply getting more comfortable, but Thomas noticed it, his smile wavering a little. They had confined in him about their intrusive thoughts throughout the course of this week. Not necessarily what those thoughts were, more of shooting him a text when a particularly violent one happened, or simply when they didn’t want to be at risk of one popping up. Of course Thomas had tried to be supportive, specially because his friend had been so brave to tell him about it, but he knew he wasn’t enough to make them feel okay. That’s why he had suggested them making a video on the topic, so Joan could feel more at ease, maybe even consider seeing someone because of it, but Thomas couldn’t help but think that only made his companion more anxious. He needed to play his cards right here, or he could break their bond by accident. And he was sure he’d cry if that happened.

\- Uhm, how should I say this – Thomas began, fidgeting with his hands. – We were thinking maybe, Remus could have a main role on this one?

That was good enough for now, right? He hadn’t told why exactly that was, and he hoped Joan could see his efforts, but the flash of sadness that crossed through Roman’s eyes completely destroyed him.

\- Oh, so you plan on introducing Remus to the audience? I thought we should be working on the second part of the conflict that we started on the last video.

Logan was positively lost. His focus on the last few days had been on organizing and resolving all the small issues that had been left out in the open from their last project. In fact, he and Virgil had been trying to set the ground for the possible disastrous reactions from their viewers, and effectively shielding Patton and Roman from the criticism that had arisen, knowing it would damage their performance and possibly even overwhelm Thomas. They all knew they were following a script, and therefore, sometimes the actions and opinions showed on screen by their characters not always aligned with their beliefs, but Roman and Patton seemed to always take it to heart when their acting sparked any sort of discourse. Providing distractions and tasks for the sides to complete had proven more difficult to achieve in practice, and that along with making sure Thomas’s health was kept while also giving insight to the multiple projects he was planning had given Logan more than a couple of sleepless nights.

\- We are still doing that, don’t worry! – Thomas quickly reassured. – We just thought that it would be really ironic if we could introduce, er... intrusive thoughts, in the middle of a two part-er.

\- Oh. – Logan heard himself say, already working out on changing his mental schedule for the next month. – I suppose it would.

During their little conversation, Roman remained quiet. He had gone back to his spot on the couch somewhere during their chat and was trying to work out his feelings, his brain going a mile an hour. It was not like he hated his brother or anything, but Remus wasn’t like any of them! He could get someone hurt, or trick them, or--!

\- Roman? – Thomas said, shaking him out of his head. – You okay with that?

There was a heavy sigh, and the prince brought his hand up to run through his perfect hair, almost hitting Logan with his elbow.

\- I am. But... and please do keep in mind I’m not the best when it comes to words; that is Logan’s department – he took a moment, looking at his nerd and smiling a little, before letting his gaze travel across the room. – Remus is a free spirit. He does love acting, but something tells me he wouldn’t follow the script if you gave him one.

Joan listened to him attentively, watching him struggle to put his thoughts in order. They knew Roman didn’t have the best relationship with his brother, the other sides had told them that much, but they didn’t know anymore than that. Nor to what degree. Maybe they’d have to make Roman sit this one out, but that would completely shatter Thomas’s ego.

\- What do you suggest we do, then? – they spoke before thinking, extremely focused on making this right.

Roman seemed to be taken by surprise, his wide eyes landing on Joan’s serious expression. They didn’t sound mad, but he rarely saw them like this. Whatever the reason was, Creativity could tell that this video was important to them, maybe more so than the others, and he wasn’t about to let them down. He rested back, arms crossed over his chest as he thought.

\- He’s a sucker for music. But we all are, really, so that’s not new – Roman chuckled in what he hoped was a realistic matter. – He also loves Virgil, for some reason, so if they could bicker between themselves, that would definitely keep him around.

Joan rapidly nodded, reaching for their bag and taking out a notebook they had brought with them, messily jolting down a few points on a blank sheet of paper. The royal watched with wonder their determination, giving them time to write everything they needed. When the pen stopped moving, Joan’s eyes back on him, he smiled confidently and kept going.

\- What I suggest would be giving him a musical number of some sort. Give him a big entrance so he gets hooked and stays around to play the part. The video would have to be mainly improvised, but I think I can make him interested, if you wouldn’t mind telling me about your ideas.

Thomas and Logan looked between the two, practically feeling the space around them buzzing with creative energy. For once, Roman truly looked confident and sure of what he was saying, his eyes soft and kind somehow, despite it all. At first, the logical side had assumed it was because he was the center of attention, for having someone let him have such a big voice in the decision making. But now, as he watched him get up to sit by Joan, the prince himself also taking notes of what was told him with the materials he had summoned, he hoped it was due to Remus being the main topic of their discussion.

On his little corner of the room, Thomas grinned, looking down at his laptop to not get too excited. It had worked. Joan looked so happy. Even if things didn’t work out in the end and Remus ended up being difficult, Joan was distracted for now. He had no idea how Roman’s brother looked or acted, since Deceit had been keeping him away for the meantime, and to say he was curious was an understatement. But the man was sure he and Talyn could work out some sort of combo cuddle attack to restore their energy, if anything happened.

The peace and calm didn’t last for long, however. Logan was about to add a remark of his own to the planning when the coffee table in front of them broke into millions of pieces, all the papers and other belonging flying around as Remus lied over the destruction. Both Thomas and Roman had jumped on their spots, scared by the loud entrance, but Roman’s surprise quickly turned into fury, standing up to take in the mess.

\- Bro, what are you doing?!

Remus looked up at him, clearly upset about something too, and suddenly stretched his arms and legs to hit on the ground like a child throwing a tantrum.

\- Dee keeps burning my shit!

Roman looked taken aback, and was about to ask what he meant when the side in question popped up, arranging his cape. Remus started whining loudly at his arrival, cursing at him and trying to tackle him, but couldn’t.

\- We were playing Minecraft – he spoke, like that answered the questions on everyone’s minds.

Thomas couldn’t take his eyes off the new side, the shock written all over his face as he took in his state, almost jumping at the sound of Deceit’s voice.

\- T-That’s Remus?? I-Is he okay?!

As Logan observed the scene around him better, he understood Thomas’s concern. The legs of the table hadn’t collapsed like the tabletop had, and their sharp, broken ends had stabbed through Remus’s shoulders, the lower ones barely missing his legs. There was no blood in sight, like one would expect, which maybe made the scene more horrifying, but you could see the wood piercing through his green dragon onesie, something he didn’t remember him wearing at breakfast.

\- Do not worry, Thomas. Remus’s reality is uhm, a little different than ours.

Just as he spoke, the dark creativity shot his head up to look at him, his usual sharp grin spreading quickly. The sounds of his bones breaking and cracking echoed through the space as he easily sat up, pulling away from the wooden stakes. The only signs they were ever through Remus’s shoulders were the holes in his onesie, the flesh under it immaculate.

\- Logan! – he yelled happily, reaching behind his back for a dagger that wasn’t there before and promptly throwing it.

Thomas screamed as he watched the knife flying in the air and effectively stabbing his logical side right through the heart. He saw the surprise cross his serious face as he stumbled back against the couch, a terrified gasp following from somewhere to his left, but he couldn’t care less. His brain went into overdrive, his hands shaking as he tried to reach for Logan, but he was moving and shifting to get more comfortable like nothing had happened.

Logan took note on the clear distress on their host’s expression, and hoped that demonstrating that he was fine would ease his concerns. He quickly realized that was not the case when he pulled the dirk out of his chest, since Thomas looked like he was about to faint. Which was not the reaction he was expecting, since there was no blood in sight. Logic then tried to compromise, deciding that giving the Duke what he wanted would also explain in a practical matter what was happening to the shocked audience around the room. He realized yet again that wasn’t the right answer when Thomas’s screamed in his ear right after he threw the dagger back at Remus, missing his heart on purpose as the blade hit him just below the shoulder.

The dark creativity laughed hysterically as he jumped to his feet, the knife still in place as he attacked Logan, squeezing him tight in a hug.

\- M-My brother is a little violent – Roman spoke weakly, also clearly shaken up by the weird scene of affection.

He felt all the blood draining from his body when he saw Logan fall back against the couch. Everything seemed to go in slow motion for just that second, painfully dragging his possible death right there in front of his eyes. In none of his more dangerous adventures or quests had he ever experienced such a distressing feeling, such a throbbing in his heart, like it had been ripped out of his chest. As soon as Logan started moving, he could feel himself breathing again, but the feeling stayed, gluing him to the ground as he tried not to cry. He couldn’t even muster the energy to feel jealous at seeing them hugging.

\- A little violent?! – Thomas asked in disbelief, leaping away from the new side at his minimum movement.

Deceit sighed and quickly stepped in, deciding that this had gone too far too quickly. He skillfully grabbed Remus by the hoodie of his onesie, like he had done several times before, and easily tugs him away from Logan, snapping his gloved fingers to fix all the clothing that had been damaged, while also making sure to send the dagger back to its place. Then, he held his friend at arm’s length, reaching for his bowler hat and gently dropping it on Thomas’s head. His disheveled hair was not funny at all.

\- Accept my apologies as if they are from him. He’s like a horny hurricane that I, unfortunately, have to control. He can’t hurt you, though, so don’t worry.

Ironically, the lying side didn’t really like using his powers, since he had to be in direct contact with the person he decided to use them on, but Thomas looked to be on a verge of a panic attack, and Virgil didn’t deserve to work today. He wasn’t necessarily lying, just omitting part of the truth, for the time being. And softening his tone of voice to drip into someone’s mind like it was an absolute fact definitely would not hurt their host right now. Thomas did seem to relax, which meant it was working, but even if he could feel his power being drained away to the crisp, he didn’t take his hat back, wanting to give him some sort of comfort.

\- And I’m always around to stop him – he smiled tiredly, just letting Remus cling to his arm.

\- I think I just saw a snake, Thomas! – the duke suddenly said, spiking Thomas’s nerves again.

\- What, where?! – the host squeaked, holding his laptop over his head as he jumped to stand on his couch.

\- Oh, I think he means-

\- Protect your apples everyone! – he added, giggling maniacally as he curled around Deceit’s torso, looking like he had no bones on his body.

Deceit and Logan immediately looked between each other as chaos ensured again, Thomas frantically looking for the snake that didn’t exist as Joan made kissy noises to the air, pointing at the different piles of clothes scattered across the floor and admitting they thought something had moved. At some point, Roman had summoned his katana and relentlessly attacked anything that Joan pointed at, yelling that he was going to save his friends from the beast. This went on for a couple more minutes, the actual snake in question keeping Logan from taking any action just in case he could get hurt, while also stopping Remus from trying to stab anyone with his suddenly sharp and pointy nails.

Thankfully to everyone’s sanity, Talyn arrived at his doorstep, knocking playfully as they hummed a song under their breath. Joan happily opened the door for them, quickly taking them inside and almost proudly announcing the mess that greeted their date mate.

\- What the hell happened here?! – Talyn screeched, barely seeing Remus as they took in the state of Thomas’s living room.

\- Oh Talyn, thank goodness you’re here—

Poor Thomas was cut before he could finish his sentence, almost gagging the rushed lunch he ate earlier when Remus’s head rotated 180 degrees in on itself like an owl, his vertebrae and muscles popping and tearing as he did so.

\- Oh, so that’s Talyn – the duke’s tone sounded almost velvety as he looked them up and down. – You’re way hotter in real life. Also a little shorter than what I expected.

\- Uhm... – Talyn looked between the new side and Joan, searching for some type of answer. – Thank you??

\- You’re more than welcome! – Remus replied, ready to pounce on them, but Deceit’s stopped him right on time, evoking all of his other arms to keep him bundled up in place.

Considering that both Remus and Joan were controlled variables for the moment, Logan quietly sighed and coached Thomas to sit back down, promising no snake was on the premises of his house. As his host calmly came back down, hugging his laptop to his chest as his only sense of comfort, Logan got up and carefully approached the creative side, who was cautiously lifting a ruined jacket off the floor with the tip of his sword.

\- Roman-

The prince let out a dignified yell and the blade of the katana rapidly cut through the air, slicing Logan’s cheek. The silence fell heavy on everyone’s shoulders as his bruised skin quickly filled with red, blood dripping onto his fingers. Roman let his sword drop to the floor from shock, letting it vanish as he took a step closer, his adrenaline quickly being replaced by panic.

\- L-Logan, I’m- I’m so sorry...

\- No harm done. Well, mostly no harm done.

Roman watched the logical side calmly crossed the living room and reappeared on the kitchen, reaching for the small first aid kit that he had make sure Thomas kept as a precaution. Joan and Talyn wordlessly walked up to their friend and sat by him, distracting him from the guilty prince and the destroyed space around him. As Logan attended to his cut, hissing quietly at the burn from the coagulating solution, Roman’s legs urged him after his nerd, stopping him by the frame of the door. He could feel his body shaking, the “what if’s” echoing in his mind as he observed the logical side methodically treat his wound. He had his back to him, but the prince couldn’t help but replay in his head the way his eyes widened, the way the blood tainted his pale skin. All it could have taken was his sword being just a little lower, a firmer grip, and he could have cut off his throat. He could have-

\- Ah, Roman – Logan shocked him out of his thoughts. – Could you explain to me why all of Thomas’s band aids have dinosaurs on them.

The prince slowly blinked, the words stumbling and running over each other in his high wired brain.

\- W-What?

\- I said – Logan repeated, taking a step closer and showing him a colorful band aid with a pale green stegosaurus on one of the corners. – Why are all of Thomas’s band aids-

\- I-I don’t know – Roman frowned at it, not daring to look him in the eye. – Maybe it was Patton’s idea?

\- Ah, yes. That would explain it.

The quiet made his ears ring. He was vaguely aware of a muffled sound, followed by the usual sense of magic in the air. The creative side couldn’t take his eyes off the floor even if he wanted to inspect what was happening, the guilt and the shame weighting down on his shoulders. He tried to focus on the sounds around him, to distract himself from the anxiety coursing through his veins, prickling under his skin. There was a whoosh, and he assumed Deceit had sunk out, begging to no one that Remus had gone with him. Those two seemed to go hand in hand nowadays, so that was the most likely scenario, right? The lying side was more of a brother to Remus than he’d ever be. He almost wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation.

\- Would you help me? – Logan asked shyly, adjusting his glasses.

\- I can only do that if I disappear – Roman grumbled without thinking, widening his eyes when he realized he had said it out loud.

\- What do you—

\- I said, uhm! – his panic shot through the roof as he looked around, trying to think of how to get out of the hole he dug for himself. – H-How can I help you?

His voice was high pitched, his body tensed and trembling. Logan was slow with social cues, but he wasn’t totally stupid. Normal conversation hadn’t work, and it seemed like Roman was quickly spiraling down into an anxiety attack.

\- Prince, please look at me – Logic murmured, trying to sound comforting.

He didn’t need to change his tone, however, as Roman immediately stared at him, surprised with the nickname. As soon as he realized what he had done, he rapidly averted his eyes, pushing through the fog in his brain to think of something to say. At his distressed reaction, Logan could feel his instincts kicking in, controlling his body. His arm lifted up on his own, and he could simply watch as it reached out for Roman. Only when the tips of his fingers brushed against his cheek was he shocked back into himself, his hand rapidly dropping onto his shoulder. His heartbeat quickly picked up and his face felt warm, and Logan vaguely wondered if it was possible for him to have a heart condition, at the sudden change in his pulse. All of his more rational responses were shoved to the back of his brain when the prince looked at him again, an intensity in his eyes he didn’t understand. The nerd coughed discreetly into his free hand, trying to regain his train of thought.

\- P-Please, uhm – he looked around, adjusting his glasses again. – Name five things you can see, yes.

Roman looked beyond confused, frowning as he searched for the answer in Logan’s nervous posture. Even his anxiety seemed confused with him, all of his negative thoughts coming to a halt.

\- Why would I do that??

\- B-Because, well – he tried to clear his throat, but it still felt like his body was shutting down. – It is something that I’m aware helps, when one is suddenly overcome with emotions of, er, any kind, really.

\- It helps Virgil stay calm – he quickly added, hoping it was enough of an explanation.

Roman took a deep breath, and Logan could feel his strong shoulders untensing from under his palm. He still gave him a moment, since Princey looked like he was putting his thoughts in order, or simply pondering his choices. That was always a smart thing to do, of course.

\- Five things, you say?

Logan nodded vigorously, and focused on directing all of his attention back to Roman. No, not Roman; his mental state, yes! His reactions, his expressions, his body language. Nothing else. “Do not think of how close you’re standing to him”, he reminded himself, only making him more aware of the distance between them. Or lack thereof, rather.

\- Five things you can see, yes. You do not need to say them out loud, simply warn me once you’ve secured that knowledge.

The only answer he got was a small snicker, proceeded by Roman’s gaze silently shifting around the room. Even in a state like this, he couldn’t shake Logan off his mind. He hurt him, and he was helping him, no remorse or anger in sight. The cut didn’t look too deep, but he still felt incredibly guilty for having been the one to cause it. And he standing so close too. Just one step closer and he could wrap his arms around his waist. He shook that thought away and pretended to look around, but he really only took in Logan’s appearance, creating the list from what he could gather from the corner of his eye. He could see his glasses, his typical black shirt, his neatly tied tie, his perfectly styled hair and his soft looking eyes. The nervous royal only realized he was staring when his nerd spoke.

\- Got everything?

He was so incredibly embarrassed he could only manage a nod.

\- Alright, very good. Four things you can touch.

The compliment reeled him on and he wondered if he’d praise him again if he completed this list as well. Four things, alright. He felt the cuffs of his prince suit with his fingers, moving on to the golden embroidery decorating the front of it. His eyes caught on the red of his sash, so he touched it as well, realizing with admiration that his shoulders didn’t feel as heavy as before, that it was steadily becoming easier to breathe. The softness of the fabric distracted him for a long minute, but Logan never spoke up, counting silently the things Roman seemed to fixate on. The prince quickly realized the chance he wasted as he pulled his hands away from his sash, and worked on fixing it by gently reaching his right hand across his chest, leaving it over Logan’s and providing a comforting weight on his shoulder. The action tugged a gasp out of the nerd, and Roman rapidly wondered if it bothered Logan, but his love didn’t move away.

\- T-Three things you can hear – he whispered, his throat suddenly very dry.

Roman deflated at the lack of the compliment he so eagerly waited for, but followed through with the request. He closed his eyes and took in the presences in Thomas’s apartment, but ultimately failing as his mind only focused on Logan, on his soft breathing, on his shy voice. There was a close sound, like clothes shifting, and he opens his eyes back up to the sight of Logan smoothing out his shirt, somehow looking embarrassed when he realized Roman had already filled that step as well.

\- Almost done. Two things you can smell.

Oh, that one was so easy. His cologne was the first thing he thought of, and immediately afterwards his nose picked on the faint smell of coffee that was mingled with Logan’s breath. He wondered how it would taste like, if he leaned in and kissed him. Unfortunately, Logan decided to ruin his daydreaming by speaking up again.

\- There is one last step, but it usually triggers Virgil, so I’ll skip it. How are you feeling?

Roman pouted, but genuinely thought about it, realizing with awe how better he felt. The fog was gone, everything clear like a beautiful spotlight shone on him. His body felt slightly sore, but he was sure that was due to his previous rampage, rather than his panic. His lips spread out into a wide grin, and he quickly took Logan’s hand on a brave moment of stupid courage, leaning down and kissing his soft skin.

\- Wonderfully, my dear nerd – he finally replied, looking up at Logan with love filled eyes. He was sure Logic had never looked more stunned, his mouth slightly parted, for once truly at a loss for words. The urge to kiss him came back full force, but he gulped it down, holding his hand in between his own. – You should be the one called prince around these parts.

\- Nonsense – Logan forced out, resisting the urge to pull away from the touch. He wouldn’t admit he enjoyed being the center of attention like this. – The only royalty between us sides is you and Remus. If we had anyone else, I’m sure the chaos would be unsolvable.

The perfect response was crafted in Roman’s mind, his heart excitedly calling out for him to say it as his eyes shone brightly with hope. It was a long, risky shot, and maybe Logan wouldn’t even get it, but he was determined on following through with this, his anxiety too drained to stop his advances.

\- Guys? – Thomas called from the living room, completely shattering his hopes and dreams. – Everything okay in there?

Logan looked a little flabbergasted, silently looking between Roman and their host as Joan and Talyn peeked in at them as well. He hated to do this, and he could predict the prince’s reaction to his next move, but it was necessary. His feelings didn’t matter. They didn’t even make sense in the first place.

\- Of course – he mustered up the courage and pulled his hand away from Roman’s, not daring to look at him as the cold spread through his body. – Let’s get back on track. We’ve wasted enough time already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're thinking about it, yes. That remus scene with the knife drew inspiration from that one post from tumblr. Idk who wrote it, so if there's anyone that does, let me know so i can give credit!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, my dudes, Im gonna be really serious rn. I went a little overboard with this chapter. I was really proud of the idea, but then i realized it could be extremelly triggering. So please, please, procede with caution. I dont think its all that grafic, but warnings for BLOOD and DEATH (dont wanna scare anyone, just dont know how to bold stuff on this bit). 
> 
> Tell me if i need to add other warnings for this, please and thank you!

Turns out, Talyn could indeed stay the night, so when the sides returned to the living room, the trio was planning out what movies to binge-watch and discussing what they should have for dinner. Roman, flamboyant as always, immediately barged into their conversation, singing the first Disney song he could think off to distract himself from the thoughts of rejection that threatened to march right in. Logan had left the kitchen with his typical neutral expression, the forced one. He’d only try to pretend he didn’t have emotions if something started bugging him. And the royal couldn’t help but imagine his advances had been the source of his discomfort. He always went overboard. He might not even be gay, for all he knew! Just because Thomas was, it didn’t mean they all were. Right?

Thankfully, their host pipped in, singing along with him as they danced around the room, encouraging him to mimic the scenes of the movie they both knew by heart. Talyn giggled and gladly watched them spin around and avoiding the coffee table, clapping along with Joan when their date mate started doing just that.

Logan couldn’t understand how the focus had changed so quickly, especially since Remus seemed to have left such an impact, but he didn’t dare break off the moment. He did feel left out, but Thomas was laughing and clapping, enjoying himself. What kind of monster would he be if he stopped this?

They did eventually tire themselves out, Roman falling dramatically over Thomas, which resulted in both crashing down to the floor. The room drowned with everyone’s chuckles, and so Logan left himself smile a little as well. The logical side then waited until the laughter died down to communicate to Thomas that he was leaving, deciding the group should wrap up the planning for today.

\- Aww, c’mon, Logan – the host whined, trying and failing to make puppy eyes at him. – Stay! It’s gonna be fun, I promise. We can even invite some of the other sides to stick around, if that will make you more comfortable.

Logic did try to, well, use logic for a moment, ignoring the heaviness in his chest and the smiles across everyone’s faces. That wasn’t nowhere near close to working, though. As soon as he tried to come up with a reason good enough to stay, his heart squeezed painfully against his ribcage, immediately making him feel like maybe it wasn’t such a good reason after all. Every time he looked at Roman, the sensation only got more violent. He carefully reached his hand up after the short silence, fixing his tie to give himself some kind of comfort.

\- The offer really is tempting, but I’m afraid that the sudden change in schedule gave me much to think about. I preferred to retreat for the night. Hope that doesn’t offend anyone.

His quick look around gave him the information he was expecting. Both Talyn and Joan had equal looks of understanding, and Thomas was smiling sheepishly, like he always did when someone turned him down, but he didn’t appear hurt, so that was ideal for the time being. He didn’t dare look at Roman.

\- Yea, I get it – Thomas moved his arm up, his fingers stretched in his direction, but decided against it last second. – Don’t work too hard!

Logan gave him a small smile, something he knew eased their host, even if he didn’t feel particularly fond of smiling right now.

\- I promise I’ll try. Now if you’ll excuse me.

He waited for some type of goodbye or similar gesture to be directed his way before sinking out, the easy grin slipping off his face as fast as he had appeared. He stood in their empty common room, finding some sort of comfort in being able to sigh and look miserable without someone immediately jumping on him, asking what was wrong. The logical side stayed quiet, running his hand through his hair, slow enough to make him feel the brush of each strand against his fingers.

Nothing was wrong, not necessarily. The cut didn’t even burn anymore. His mind was still processing the shock of their evening events, however, and before he realized it, he was touching his wound very lightly, the tips of his fingers tickling him ever so slightly. He had bled. He didn’t bleed when Remus stabbed him, since that was a common enough occurrence for him to predict, and therefore, expect. He had long since feared the Duke for any of his violent actions, really. He knew for a fact that Remus only attacked them confidently when he knew they weren’t going to fear him. He might be impulsive, but he wasn’t stupid. “I don’t wanna hurt my family”, he had said once, adding a shrug before missing on purpose, the knife sticking to the floor right by Patton’s foot. Roman however...

Roman was a new variable. He was changing so quickly, he didn’t give Logan any room to inspect, to ponder on the changes that were happening so fast in front of his eyes. Did that mean that he was scared of their prince? The logical side was almost certain he could never dread Princey’s presence, no matter how loud his actions were or became. So what was it? Why had he bled?

The nerd was deeply lost in thought, analyzing the consequences of his shock reaction and other defensive mechanisms of their systems as sides. He was starting to get frustrated for not being nowhere near an answer when something lightly tapped his shoulder.

\- Logan? – came a soft voice right afterwards, and Logan was surprised to notice that it belonged to Roman. – Is... everything alright?

\- Why wouldn’t it be so? – he replied too fast, not thinking about his reaction. His eyes were distant, focusing nowhere near the royal, and he almost dared to admit his voice sounded alarmed.

At least that would explain Roman’s reaction. The way he shrank into himself, how he seemed to be drowning in the prince costume he wore so proudly.

\- I’m... I’m sorry – the prince’s eyes were glued to the ground, every breath he took looking shaky.

Logan frowned, and forced himself to relax, taking a discreet breath in, and slowly out.

\- There’s no need to apologize twice for the same matter, Roman. As you can see, the injury is already healing—

\- I’m not talking about that. – he stated firmly, gathering his courage and lifting his head up to face him. – You... don’t look okay. And I can’t help but think... that it’s my fault somehow.

\- Roman-

\- I’m not finished – Roman breathed out, taking the smallest step closer. – If... If my touch bothers you, please say so.

Logan was beyond confused at this point.

\- Why exactly do you say that?

\- Because! – the prince whined desperately before catching himself, biting his lip for a moment to calm down. – I’m aware we are not... the closest, between all the sides. And that’s alright. I wanna make sure you know that I won’t disrespect your boundaries. Just... tell me, if I ever do do that.

That did nothing to clear the puzzlement in Logan’s mind. The only thing he was convicted was that Roman was not talking about the incident that had originated the small cut across his cheek. What could he be referring to, then?

\- Roman, I do appreciate the concern, but I’m extremely lost right now. What exactly are you talking about?

He made sure to transmit his confusion in all the ways he knew how. His tone of voice was different, his facial expressions were wrinkled on all the right places. So why did Roman appeared to be equally lost all of the sudden? He did seem to have relaxed slightly, but his eyes were wide, desperately searching for answers.

\- You, don’t know what I’m talking about??

\- I don’t believe I do. My apologies.

That seem to startle the royal, for some reason, his arms shooting up in the air as his hands rapidly shook from side to side. He must have taken another step forward, because he looked much closer than before, and that made the heavy feeling in his chest double.

\- Ah, no- It’s okay! – Roman was saying, before his tone turned into a curious one. – Why did you seem so uneasy then?

Logan blinked slowly, processing his words.

\- Uneasy?

\- Yea! – the words were leaving his mouth before he could stop them. – You left the kitchen with this really weird expression, and then almost immediately sank out. I thought it was because of me, honestly.

The heavy feeling suddenly flushed all the way down to his stomach, just sitting there as his throat dried up. He hadn’t been as careful as he thought he had. Why must he have feelings, he wondered as he adjusted his glasses nervously, not even aware of his movements.

\- It’s... nothing of your concern, Roman. – he tried to say softly, but it didn’t sound like that to his own ears. – It figuratively struck me, all the work I suddenly have. I decided it would be a good idea, to advance some of it before Joan comes up with more of their, uhm, more fantastical ideas.

It wasn’t necessarily a lie, only a half truth. And he couldn’t be sincere with Roman, not when he didn’t know how to do that for himself. Maybe in time he would have his answers, but some part of him was sure that would never be the case. Like a wall inside his chest was blocking the replies out for him. Thankfully, it seemed like the royal had bought his excuse, for the way he held himself more properly, his hands on his hips with his chest pushed out. And it was always a positive when he didn’t summon Deceit by accident.

\- Makes sense! – Roman exclaimed with a wide smile. – I’ll make sure they leave it alone for today.

Roman’s strong hand suddenly was on top of his head, just sitting there, and his grin was practically blinding him at this point. It literally hurt to look directly at it, so that had to be a possible explanation for that, even if it made no logical sense.

\- Don’t work too hard though – his voice was much softer, and his smile eased up a bit. – I’ll tell Patton if you’re still awake by the time I get back.

Logan knew a normal reaction to a statement like the one Princey had just muttered would be a short giggle, so he did just that, to the best of his ability. He laughed more at the irony of the situation, really, since he was sure he’d be doing exactly the opposite of that.

\- I promised Thomas I’d try, and I’m promising you the same – he tried to sound playful, but he had no idea how to do that. – Now please stop ruining my hair.

The fanciful side replied with a snort, gently pulling his hand away. There was something behind his eyes Logan couldn’t really read, and that made the heavy feeling stronger.

\- Okay okay, I’m sorry, oh mighty teacher – he half bowed, clearly mocking him. – I’ll stay away from your precious locks, if that will stop the universe from collapsing.

It made absolutely no sense, and it was silly beyond reason, but maybe that was exactly why Logan started laughing. Not loud and open, like Roman’s, but airier and higher pitched, just a notch above a giggle, and just as quiet. The prince didn’t even realize what was happening before he lifted his head up to face him, and the sight left him completely awe struck. Logan was laughing. Logan was laughing, at something he had said. And genuinely, not the fake smile he gave to everyone to be polite. Roman had never felt so special, or honored, even if he prided himself with having the ability to make anyone laugh. He was sure his soul had left his body and was peacefully flying up to heaven.

He only realized he was staring once Logan cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed for having slipped like this in from of another side.

\- Yes, I’ll be taking my leave now – he mumbled, taking a small step back. His body wasn’t answering him, and it almost made him panic how much it wanted to stay close to Roman.

\- Y-Yea, you, uhm, do that! – Princey chuckled nervously, flapping his hands in the air. – I have to uhm- what did I have to do?

\- Possibly assist Thomas--?

\- Yes, Thomas! – Roman chuckled louder, which, he realized, could give his agitation away more easily than the stuttering. – Gotta help him out with, uhm, having fun?

\- Uh, yes? – Logan replied, very much unsure about what was happening.

\- So uhm, yea! See ya!

And with that, Roman quickly sank out, not even doing his usual regal pose from how much he was fidgeting. A quiet, insecure part of Logan whispered if maybe he hadn’t been the cause of Princey’s distress, but he quickly stomped it down. No more feelings for today, it was all he asked.

As the logical side dragged himself to his room, intending on drowning in his work to scare away the sight of Roman’s dashing smile, Creativity pushed away the clouds of negativity with a solidly fun movie night with Joan, Talyn and Thomas. The three of them had fallen asleep halfway through the third movie, and the prince very much wanted to do the same thing, barely even able to remember what he had watched for the last half an hour, but he was stubborn on achieving the invisible medal of being the one awake for the longest time.

When the credits finally rolled on the screen, Roman lazily got up and turned off the Tv before heading out, popping in his room to spare the trouble and immediately flopping on his bed, regal attire and everything. He thought he’d be out as soon as his head hit the pillow, but he was wrong. The lights were off, the covers magically pulled over himself, and the bed was infinitely comfortable, the softest he could conjure, but he couldn’t stop stirring. It wasn’t even the lack of pajamas, or the fact that his prince costume wasn’t all that cozy. He just couldn’t say what it was, really.

The hours seem to drag painfully slowly, his body getting heavier, but his mind wide awake. He hated the torture, but he wouldn’t dare focus on how much he needed to fall asleep. Because if he did, then he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep for sure. Roman couldn’t help but do exactly that, being the lovable idiot that he was, and not even ten minutes after making that decision, he was throwing the blankets away from himself and getting up, frustrated and exhausted.

He ran a hand through his hair as he looked around, running through the options in his mind. There had to be something that could put him out to sleep. His room was uncomfortably dark, now that he realized it, but he didn’t have time to be a scared baby. He had his sword with him, after all. A brave prince, that’s what he was. If monsters existed, he’d slay them with a smooth slash of his blade. Almost to prove his point, he reached out and held his katana, letting it fall heavy on his left hand as he twirled it around. “Oh, who am I kidding”, he thought to himself, “I’m a knight! The monsters must also have that information. They wouldn’t dare attack _me_.”

They could still attack one of the others, his mind quickly provided, and suddenly he was ten times more scared than he was before. It wasn’t totally impossible, knowing how Thomas’s mind worked. Maybe he could leave his room and go walk around. Just a little patrol around the Mind Palace, no big deal. He could check if Logan was awake too, and if anyone caught him, he could just say he was going to the bathroom. It wouldn’t be a total lie.

The creative side tiptoed to the door, sword held high. He clutched it with both hands once he stepped into the corridor, the space somehow darker than his room had been. At least in his room, he could tell what the different shapes and shadows were just because he spent enough time in his little corner. Now, here out in the open, the creaks of the floorboards sounded so loud. It could be his panic quickly rising, but he didn’t feel shaky, or nervous. He was actually half excited because this kinda counted as an adventure, so there was no reason as to why he felt so jumpy. There was a sound, that at first he brushed off as just a gust of wind, but the more he focused on it, the more it appeared like breathing. He had peeked over his shoulder multiple times, just to check nothing was there, and the sound would quiet down for a bit until he let his guard down again. It was making him go insane!

Roman had finally reached Logan’s door, tired like it had taken him an hour to get there. The hope lighted his vision around the edges, but everything remained very dark, the thick kind of black you can’t see through. Very slowly, he breathed in and out, shaking the nerves off his limbs. Next, he rolled his shoulders back and ignored the way the dark somehow seemed to be stepping closer to him, since that didn’t make any sense. He gripped his sword more firmly anyways, staring at the dark blue door in front of him. Even Logan’s door looked black, like this.

Suddenly, the uneasiness sipped into his bones. He was acutely aware how obscure everything was, and Logan’s door looked much taller out of nowhere. Roman took a step back, ready to position himself in an appropriate fighting stand, but before he could, the weird sound that had been following him got much more real. It was a breathing of some sort, without any shadow of a doubt. The prince stayed very still, trying to determine from where it came from, all the hairs on his neck standing out in alarm. His pounding heart wasn’t helping him, but he kept focusing on staying calm. Just when he gathered the courage to peek over his left shoulder, a warm gust of air passed by his right ear.

It all happened too fast. His instincts kicked in, and mingled with his training, the blade slashed through the air automatically, and he could feel he had hit something, in the middle of the darkness. Now the only breathing he could hear was his own, but there came a quiet, hushed sound.

\- Ro... man...

There was a thump against the floor right after that, and on his knees was Logan, holding a hand to his throat. The logical side was choking and wheezing, clearly not being able to breathe, and Roman just stood there, in shock. Even if he knew what to do, there wouldn’t be much help to give. He was frozen, with fear and shame, watching paralyzed as Logan’s face became paler and paler, his hand darker and darker. There was blood everywhere. His tie was coated in it, and not too long after, Roman could see the contrast of the red against lifeless white.

His breathing got erratic, his hands shaking beyond relief. Instead of letting go of his sword like he so desired, he clang to it, like he’d fall apart if it disappeared. He didn’t even realize he was moving again, a small voice at the back of his head almost laughing at him for what was happening. The tainted prince stumbled back, hitting his back against the door. His hands felt sticky, and upon inspecting them, he could see that Logan’s blood covered them completely, small red drops falling to the floor. That only made him panic harder, but his attention focused to his sword. Or rather, his... morning star?

The confusion was so strong it cut right through his distress, and he held the hideous thing in front of his face, even if he couldn’t feel his own movements. When, how had that got there? Roman turned it in his hand in utter disbelief, checking that there was a dark spot of blood in a particular section of spikes. That only made his mind hazier. He had used a sword, right? His trusty katana, he had left the room with it. Without him realizing, the shaking came back full force, and he let go of Remus’s weapon with a heavy sound against the floor, the noise echoing through the hall. He quickly covered his eyes with his forearms, hoping that would calm him down somehow. Turns out, blocking his vision only made him more aware of his dirty hands, of what was being hidden from his sight. In a fit of something he couldn’t name, he rubbed his hands on his once pristine white suit, but suddenly stopped once he checked what he was wearing. This... this was not his suit. It was black and the fabric felt rough against his dirty palms. It had frills everywhere, and somehow his mind only connected the dots once his eyes caught a glimpse of the tacky green sash wrapped around his torso. In a desperate attempt to deny the accusations pouring into his head, he quickly reached his hands up to his lips, which then and there started trembling once he felt the ridiculous moustache Remus had grown somehow.

The world was spinning around him, his vision blurring. He was aware his legs had given out, but he only really registered it once he hit the ground. Logan- what once was Logan- lied there unconsciously, blood still dripping out of his wound, forming a pool around his head. For some reason, his eyes fixed on it, and he realized with horror that the red was quickly dripping further away from the body, like it was trying to reach him. Roman, whoever he was now, shuffled away from it like he had been shocked, pressing against the door like he wanted to go through it. His body was still shaking, and everything felt extremely cold, while also unbearably hot. The darkness was wrapping around him, a heinous laugh echoing in the distance.

When he turned to face the owner of it, his eyes shot open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason i realized it was triggering was because the mere idea of any of those warnings really bothered my beta reader, and i still feel kinda bad for that, so im sorry if it is too overboard. Tell me how that specific scene felt, okay?
> 
> Little p.s., i drew big inspiration from my nightmares. Dont know why, but my brain just loves to give me stupidly graphic and realistic nightmares where people die, important people. Some are so gorey i still remember them to this day. So i thought, hey, lets slap that onto a chapter. Im still very sorry.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiiIIIIIII!!! I know im back really early, but its for a very important celebration. Drum rolls... My partner is starting T!!! He just messaged me saying he stuck the needle on his butt, and Ive never felt happier in my life xD  
I wrote this chapter as a way to celebrate, really, because his favorite side was Roman before we knew Remus was a thing. He also really projects into Roman still, so one of his hcs for him is that he's trans. I hope you can see where this is going.

He was in his room. He was okay.

Roman could feel his lungs burning and his face wet with tears, but he was okay. His prince suit was strangling him and the covers were tangled around his legs, but the adrenaline from the nightmare kept his back pinned to the mattress for a solid minute, not daring to move, almost not daring to breathe. When he could finally feel his arms, he frantically dragged his hands all over his torso, crying in relief when he saw white instead of black, and clean hands instead of blood. He actually had to cover his eyes for a moment to not go into full out sobbing, no matter how much he wanted that.

The prince stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. He was aware it had taken him much longer to calm down than usual, and he didn’t like that.

\- You’re a brave prince – he whispered hoarsely to the silence of the room. – You _have_ to be a brave prince.

His eyes burned with another wave of tears and he quickly pushed them away, pressing his palms against them. He could feel himself sinking, but he needed to focus.

\- Princes don’t cry – he mumbled in a watery tone, ignoring the sniffle that followed. – Princes are strong. Princes are selfless, so they can protect others.

The others. A full body shiver ripped a quivery sob out of him, his mind providing him with dismembered pieces of his dream. It was suddenly much harder to breathe. He raised a trembling hand in the air and tried snapping his fingers, but he was shaking too much for that. A couple of curses fell off his lips as he tried to push through the bloody images to find a solution to his problem. His arms came around him protectively as he whimpered, looking around the room. It wasn’t as dark as his dream made it out to be, and that calmed him down a bit.

\- Nothing happened. It was just a dream. J-Just a dream.

The fanciful side kept repeating that until he believed it enough, noting that along the way, his shivering had toned down a little. He could move now, at least, so that was good enough. He promptly pulled the top part of his suit up, struggling and whining when it got caught on his head, and was almost surprised by the sudden flair of pain that spread through his back. He had slept with his binder on. That was like, the biggest no no you can do, and he knows that. Very slowly, he tried to roll his shoulders to ease some of the tension on his muscles, but a wince pushed past his lips from the feeling of his bruised ribs. He threw his prince suit unceremoniously onto the floor, sighing deeply. As much as he didn’t want to, he needed to take it off. His eyes fell to his chest, to the binder he had imagined with so much effort, and breathed in and out very slowly, feeling the pressure push against his panting. “Here goes nothing”, he tried to encourage himself, snapping his fingers to take it off.

The air felt warm against his bare skin. Not unbearably warm, and somehow cold, when he inhaled it in. It made his throat itch, and it was so annoying. His dried tears were also really annoying, so he dragged his big hands over his cheeks, cleaning them the best he could. That won’t stop him from looking like a mess, but it was a start.

His breathing calmed down after a while, but he didn’t dare move yet. There was a weight on his chest; not necessarily guilt, but something similar. He was still scared of Remus. He was scared of his own brother. What joke of a knight he was. He didn’t feel it when his hands covered his eyes again, but he pulled them away right afterwards, sighing deeply to try to dislocate the burden in his chest. It didn’t even move an inch. He sighed again, hoping this time it would work, but now it felt bigger somehow. “Way to go, Roman”.

He was kicking the air not too long afterwards, the frustration fueling where the adrenaline missed. 4:15 am, his clock informed him, and the prince almost laughed. He had slept for longer than usual. A shiver ran up his spine, and only then did he realize that the fear was what had kept him warm. He quickly threw something together in his mind, snapping his fingers because changing was too much of a bother. The warmth and comfort of his sweater made some of the tension dissolve, even if the rest of his body still felt kinda stiff. “Time for depressive movie marathon”, he wooed in his head as he got up, not daring to search for his sword before leaving the room. If his dream really had happened, his didn’t need evidences of that right now.

He still felt jittery as he carefully walked to the common room, eyes and ears wide open. Again, confirming his suspicions, not even the hallway looked as dark as it had in his nightmare, and the soft thumping of his bare feet against the wood didn’t make the floorboards creek. He was home.

Roman was in front of the Tv before he realized it, the volume turned all the way down as he went through Netflix, thinking about his options. This was Thomas’s mind, after all, so even if he was on Netflix, his choices preceded much more those that were offered to their host, on the same streaming site. The possibilities were basically endless, and that overwhelmed Creativity, feeding into his secret indecisive side. Five minutes of clicking through options passed before Roman gave up, dropping the remote by his side. The tiredness was seeping into his bones, but he felt wide awake. A million ants left from the panic were crawling through his skin, and he chuckled to himself like a mad man when he imagined tiny Virgils in their place. He was Anxiety, after all. That was possible... kinda.

That thought made him look to the staircase instinctively, disappointment washing over him when he didn’t see a sleepy Virgil at the bottom of it. He actually pouted, crossing his legs over the cushions and gripping at his suddenly exposed ankles. He wanted his friend. Not that he’d wake him up to keep him company, but he was almost considering doing just that. He could pretend he was there, no? That wasn’t a bad idea. And he wouldn’t get mad if he didn’t know, so...

For the first time that night, he smiled genuinely and snapped his fingers, conjuring a small puppet; the one Virgil had used during one of their videos, to be more exact. Roman had been the one to help him with the design, but somehow Anxiety made it his own thing along the way. The creative side would never admit it out loud, but he was really proud of him, for what he had come up with. Plus, it looked so cute! He gently held it in his hands, staring into its glassy eyes.

\- Hi Virgil – his whispered under his breath, his voice excited and giddy.

\- Hey there, Princey – he replied, changing his tone of voice to pretend it was his fellow side. – What are you doing out so late?

\- I wanted to watch a movie – Roman pouted. – But I don’t know which to pick.

\- Aww, so you needed me for that? – he imagined Virgil’s trademark smirk, and snorted at the image of that in a puppet, quickly trying to ignore it to continue the scene.

\- Well, I mean, besides myself, you’re the only one that appreciates Disney movies.

\- I’m the only one with a good taste, it’s what you mean.

\- No! – he said, and shrank into himself when he realized he had spoken too loudly, waiting quietly for any sounds before relaxing. – Do you wanna watch a movie or not?

\- Yea yea – Roman moved the puppet around, like he imagined Virgil would move it, and watched as he selected Lilo and Stitch, even if technically he was the one that had done it.

\- Nice choice, stinky sock – the prince giggled as the movie played on the Tv, circling his finger in the air to turn up the sound just a bit.

\- Thanks, I try – he made the puppet shake his head. – Not the stinky part- you get what I mean.

The little prince huffed out a breath past his smiling lips and nuzzled his cheek into the tiny hoodie before hugging the fake Virgil against his chest. He got tired of being big somewhere in the middle of his made up talk with himself, but that didn’t matter. He could be just a kid in the meantime. No one was around to judge him, and anything was better than panicking over a silly dream, so he let himself drown in the heightened sense of security and magical happiness his little space provided him.

At least ten minutes into the movie, Roman attentively taking in any and everything his eyes could, a soft sound echoed down the stairs. So absorbed in Lilo’s adventures he was that he didn’t even react to it, the information quickly escaping his mind. Peeking from the top of the stairs was a sleep deprived Deceit, bed hair safely hidden under the hood of his snake onesie. He swore he’d kill the Creative Twins one day. First, Remus had kept him away from his bed with his usual shenanigans, then half scared him to death by dumping a squid on his face when he could finally escape and actually fall asleep, and not even an hour had passed before his mind was being filled with all the lies Roman was trying to feed himself.

Deceit had to give him credit for quieting them down faster than usual, and for keeping the volume of the movie to the bare minimum. This was Virgil’s department. Even if the snake side knew he was sleeping, and well deserved after the last couple of nights, he could taste the tension in the room. Well, not exactly tension. It was tingled with something sweet he couldn’t quite figure out.

Either way, this was ridiculous. He was aware that Roman didn’t like him as much as he let out. Deceit had deducted it would be because he was so close to Remus, and maybe it sturred from unchecked jealousy, but whatever the actual answer was, it would not benefit him in any way. He already took care of the dark sides and they were a handful, to say the least. He deserved a break too! If he went and started helping everyone that woke him up accidentally, he’d never sleep at night.

But Deceit stood there, his eyes never leaving Roman. No matter how much he tried to deny it, Creativity was important to Thomas, both sides of it. If he neglected the good one, who knows what kind of effect it would have on his bad one? Or on Virgil, for all he knew. Anxiety didn’t need to work overtime if that can be avoided. Besides the overall impact it would have on their host. Yea, that was all there was to it. He wasn’t actually worried by how toxic Roman’s lies tasted on his tongue. He didn’t care that he could sense the cape of deception the prince had wrapped himself around. He was acting with his own future well-being in mind. He could always take a nap later.

Carefully, the side went down the stairs, to preserve the surprise effect needed for his big entrance. He could just pop up right in front of Roman, but he couldn’t risk him screaming at this hour. Or him getting scared all over again. He hated the taste of fear.

He was just behind the couch, looming over the other. It was a perfect chance to strike, but the sight that greeted him stopped his evil plans. He wasn’t wearing his prince costume, for once. Everybody knew how much he loved that thing. Heck, not even Remus took his off, unless it was to add to some of his, well, more gross arguments. Deceit couldn’t tell if that was a good or a bad sign. Plus, he was holding something. It looked like a sock with a jacket?? Had he really gone crazy for good?

The lying side sighed as he rubbed his bare hands over his face. He wasn’t prepared for this! How was he even going to call for Roman’s attention without possibly scaring him? Deceit straightened his back and summoned the rest of his arms. Safe and quick route, then.

Maybe unfortunately for the little prince, since he was really hyped to get to the end of this movie without falling asleep, all his nerves were spiked when Deceit’s arms rapidly slithered around his body, one of his hands coming up right in front of his face when he was about to scream, index finger pointing up and shaking from side to side. Their owner came into view soon after, loosening his grip on Roman to not strangle him by accident.

\- You know, I wanted to sleep for once – he tried a playful tone, but his cursed voice made it sound sarcastic. He could feel the royal tensing against his bare hands.

\- ‘m sorry. I thought the Tv wasn’t that loud – Roman mumbled, and the lack of any trace of mockery or feigned annoyance ticked Deceit off.

\- It, wasn’t because of the Tv, Roman-

\- Then why did you scare me like that, scaley monster?! – the panic of being caught was quickly mingling with the fear of the enemy figuring out about his secrets, everything feeling overwhelming quicker than usual and bringing fat tears to his eyes.

Deceit would never admit he actually got worried for having Thomas’s pride crying openly in front of him, retreating all of his arms and leaving him sat on the couch to get his composure back. He simply watched, dumbfounded as a few tears rolled down Roman’s cheeks, the creative side quickly trying to rub them away, but failing miserably as others rapidly came to replace them.

\- Roman, c’mon – Deceit carefully stepped closer, reaching one of his hands for his cheek.

The fanciful side flinched away before the snake actually got to touch him, and bit his lip to focus on not moving again. He didn’t look like he was mad, but he could be faking it. He could go tell the others...

Deceit didn’t press further, however. His hand hovered just next to his cheek, but didn’t come any closer.

\- I’m not going to hurt you.

\- H-How can I be sure of that, huh? – Roman sobbed out, giving him a watery glare. – Why don’t you just leave me alone?

His thin snake tongue peeked out from between his lips, tasting the air, and it was sudden and curious enough to distract Roman for a second.

\- That’s a lie. Kind of – his cold hand came in contact with Roman’s cheek, but the only reaction he got was a high pitched squeak. – Do you really believe you want to be alone?

Everything was so weird. Deceit was being too soft, his hands were too soft. Heck, considering they were literally covered in _scales_, it was actually really pleasant to the touch. But he was being sassy and spotting his lies, and that wasn’t pleasant at all.

\- No – came the mumbled reply past his pout. – I’m sorry I called you a monster.

\- Oh, I didn’t mind that – he lied, caressing his cheek with his thumb to push a stray tear away. – Wanna be dramatic for a few more seconds? I’ll pretend I can’t see it.

Roman’s pout curled more into itself, holding back a whine, which only fed into Deceit’s delight, making him chuckle on that short, high way of his. Using his powers twice on the same day was definitely a bad idea, but Creativity was too stressed out for his liking. Plus, he already felt terribly tired, so how much worst could it get??

\- Just wanted to pull that expression out of you – he admitted with a smirk, feeling the last of the reserves of his energy being sucked away. – Do you feel better now?

The little prince avoided his gaze and actually considered it, pretending he wasn’t thinking about that. He really didn’t want to hurt him. If he wanted to, he’d have done it by now. And the snake actually looked exhausted, so he had to have a solid reason to stay here and keep up with him. Maybe he could trust him...?

\- A bit – he announced, straightening his back to look more serious. – Now tell me why you came down here, snake. I was in the middle of my movie.

Deceit didn’t even bother wasting energy on feeling offended, in part because he didn’t have it. He quickly peeked over his shoulder, confirming the movie had been paused somehow.

\- I told you, you woke me up – Dee rolled his eyes and held his free hand in the air, closer to himself. – And since none of the others is coming down to solve the problem, I’ve decided to take this as my fun little challenge.

Roman deflated slightly at his words, not catching the hint of his sarcasm. He was a problem, a challenge, for others to play with. He was such a joke-

\- I’m gonna stop you right there – he firmly cut through his lies, holding a hand against his forehead. – I really could spare the headache right now, so just make this easier for the both of us, alright?

The royal could only give him a nod, still feeling terrible. The air felt really awkward and Deceit was being confusing. He twisted something in his hands and only then did he realize he was still holding Virgil’s puppet, desperately looking at it and hoping he hadn’t ruined it by accident.

\- Let’s make it like this – Deceit pulled away, and even though his hand had been freezing, Roman missed the touch already. – Come to my room. It’s not an order, it’s a request. Virgil always feels safe in there.

He threw in that last bit as bait, really. He was deception, after all. He knew if he tempted Roman with the right things, that he would follow him like a puppy. And just like he predicted, the creative side fell for his trick, jumping off the couch and turning off the Tv with a snap of his fingers, still holding that weird sock to his chest. Deceit didn’t mind it, though, assuming it must have been something important to him to some extent as he focused on summoning a portal to the dark side of Thomas’s mind, reaching a hand out for Roman.

\- Don’t be scared – he teased, offering his trademark smirk. – We will go directly to my room. No monsters or scary stuff.

Even if he was too scared to go, it was too late to go back on his word. Besides, a prince never went back on his word. Roman chewed the inside of his cheek as he shyly took Deceit’s hand, gripping it just a tad too tight than it was necessary and closing his eyes shut. He didn’t even feel himself being tugged through the portal, or it dissolving into nothing, for that matter. They actually stayed in silence for a while, Deceit taking the opportunity to check if his room had any effect on the light side as the scared prince gathered the courage to open his eyes.

When he finally peeled them open, ready to be faced with something scary, the first thing his eyes laid on was Logan. His mind shut down for a second from the overwhelming confusion that suddenly assaulted him, but when he finally rebooted, he was pulling his hand away from Logic’s, looking him up and down in shock.

\- W-When did you get here?! Where did you come from? – he quickly looked around the room, barely taking in the style of it, or the little heat lamp on the corner. – W-Where’s Deceit?

He saw Logan frown, but it looked weird, for some reason.

\- Did the prince finally lose it? – his stern voice came through, and then the dots connected, forcing the lying side to take in the tie and the thick framed glasses, rapidly realizing what had happened. – Why must you do this to me?

He sounded positively tired, but the weird session of events was just confusing the prince.

\- What, uhm, what are you talking about?

\- It’s Deceit still – he sighed, standing like he normally would, and Roman couldn’t deny that they had different ways of holding themselves. – My room simply makes true what others want to be true. It can be a real bother, as you can tell.

\- But... – he frowned, tilting his head to the side. – I don’t think I wished for Logan to be here.

“You wished for him to be alive”, a little voice in his mind provided, and the prince widened his eyes at the realization.

\- Oh, yes you did. – Deceit huffed out a laugh and smiled at him softly. – How can the romantic side be so slow?

Roman choked on his words, looking exasperated from the sudden change of topic.

\- What are you --!

\- “Oh, what are you talking about, Deceit?” – the side in question mocked, shaking his hands in the air to add to the scene. – I’m not _blind_. I certainly had my doubts, but you just cleared all of them. It’s adorable, really, how you fell for the nerdiest of them all.

His nails pressed into his palms when he curled his hands into fists, the sudden, burning rage making him shake. How dare he laugh like this at his feelings?

\- So what? – Roman glared at him, his words heavy with emotion. – Is it wrong to feel like this? Are you going to- to blackmail me with this information for your personal gain?

Deceit looked taken aback, but his expressions were much harder to read when he was still wearing Logan’s face. The fanciful side was serious. This was not just one of his silly crushes, huh?

\- My apologizes – the dark side whispered out, and it sounded so much like the real thing that it stopped Roman from pushing further for a moment. – I wasn’t lying when I said I did suspect about your feelings. Just didn’t intend for it to come out as an attack.

The atmosphere was heavy around them again, and the royal was even more stubborn than usual for still being in his little space. The way he crossed his arms and stomped his right foot reminded Deceit so much of Remus that a shiver ran up his spine.

\- Well, that’s how it sounded like. So I demand a better apology than that.

The fury must have cancelled all other emotions, because his dysphoria left him alone for once, even if he could feel his chest pressing against his arms. But he wasn’t stepping away this time, oh no sir! He deserved some respect, and he was gonna get it-

Before he could sink more into his childish tantrum, Deceit took a step closer, very carefully untangling his arms and holding one of his hands on his palm. Roman was shocked to notice he could feel the scales under his touch, even if they weren’t there anymore.

\- Alright – the lying side began, not actually lying for once. – I will apologize, but in a way that benefits you more than just words.

He could feel his brows frowning in confusion, suspicion clinging to all of his doubts. What was he getting at?

\- How so?

\- Well – Deceit offered him a small smile, gently gripping his hand. – I could make your biggest dream come true.

\- D-Don’t tempt me with your lies! – Roman cried out, trying to rip his hand away, fear coursing through him when he noticed he wasn’t strong enough for that.

\- I’m not – he sighed and let the little prince go, watching as he immediately took a step away from him. – Think with me here. Why would I offer something if I knew I couldn’t fulfill it?

That... actually made a lot of sense. The creative side still stared at his enemy, not being able to be mad at him anymore because he just looked like Logan. There had to be a hole in his reasoning somewhere. He was manipulating him so he could gain something. He might not be smart enough to know exactly what, but that had to be it!

\- Exactly – Deceit took his silence as proof that Roman believed him. – And I’m not talking about like, letting you date me or something, simply because of my appearance – he let himself smirk, holding a hand over his chest. – I was going more on the lines of, basically allowing me to make sure you don’t die.

\- I know you feel like a child right now, Roman. I can taste it – he let his act drop a little to not seem so intimidating. – Well, sort of. Let’s say I have some experience on that field.

He watched as the prince held his head in his hands. Maybe he had spilled too much information at once. Possibly even dangerous information. He couldn’t admit with total veracity the last bit, since Virgil wasn’t even aware of his regression, but it kinda counted, right? It wasn’t the last time, and certainly not the first, that he had woken up during the night and was presented with a handful of toddler Anxiety. He hadn’t taken care of him, per se, but he made sure he was safe and comfortable; he even pretended to be asleep most of the time to allow his anxious friend to shapeshift back into himself. That had to count for something.

\- I understand if you don’t trust me. I’m deceit, after all - he focused on fighting his room, letting his form turn back into his original one, onesie and everything. – Just know the offer still stands.

A loud whine cut him off and immediately afterwards, Roman was clinging to him with no reservation. His shoulders almost tensed up, but he fought his instincts, not letting his vulnerabilities show.

\- I’m sorry, please – the little prince nuzzled his face into his shoulder. – Turn back into Logan. I- I can’t-

He cut himself off, closing his eyes firmly as the images of his dream tried to force his way back inside his mind. “Don’t you dare panic again, Roman”, he insisted, taking in a shaky breath. He was spiraling down, he knew he was, but he just couldn’t stop it!

There was a sound he couldn’t quite pick up, and then sure and lanky arms were wrapping around his torso, palms pressing against his back.

\- Everything is alright, Roman – Logan’s voice sounded right by his ear, and the surprise made him gasp. – I’m here.

A sob almost made his way through, but Roman bit it back, squeezing Deceit in a tight embrace. The dark side simply let him do what he wanted, holding him close until the fanciful side decided he had had enough, moving around in his arms to face him.

\- Are... were you really being serious? – there was a glimpse of hope shining in his eyes, and Dee was sure there wasn’t a single person in the word that could say no to that.

\- I was. And still am – he chuckled, moving a hand to push the glasses up his nose. – This can be our little secret.

Somehow, his eyes only shone brighter, and a spark of warm ignited in Deceit’s chest for taking in the sight. Finally he trusted him, even if just a little.

\- Do you have any rules? – Roman asked excitedly, the bounce he wanted to let out tickling his feet.

\- Hmm, not that I can recall – his snake tongue peeked past his lips and wiggled in the air for just a second. – Don’t have any problems with pet names you wanna call me, either. Mommy, daddy, the sort.

The little prince tilted his head to the side, frowning a little.

\- Mommy??

Deceit returned the confused look back at him.

\- Why not? I may look like a male, but that doesn’t mean I’m one. So, all gendered names and the like are accepted.

Roman was just so lost. He slowly let go of him, and tried to make a sense of his words. Could he be... no, there was no way!

\- Okay wait. You’re not cis??

The snake side let a second pass in silence for the dramatic effect, a smirk slowly crawling to his lips. His whole posture radiated confidence.

\- Do you think something this good looking could be cis?

The fact that those words were pronounced by Logan’s mouth truly added to the character of the sides involved, and Roman had to admit he almost laughed solely because of that.

\- In all seriousness – Deceit’s smile turned more genuine, the fingers of his hands lacing between each other. – I’m non binary, demiboy to be more exact. The gender binary is a social construct rigged with lies anyways.

Roman blinked, letting that sink in. He didn’t think he knew what a demiboy was; he’d need to search that later. Either way, it was amazing news! They really weren’t all just like Thomas. He wasn’t a mistake... he could almost cry about that.

\- Alright, makes sense – he giggled to ease some of the tension. – Will you be okay with, uhm... papa then?

\- I always wanted to call Logan papa...– he mumbled very quietly, almost ashamed of admitting it.

Deceit still caught what he was saying, maybe unfortunately, because the air around him changed, making Roman’s heart skip a bit. He really looked just like Logan now. Damn Thomas and his amazing acting skills!

\- That is acceptable. – Logan smiled gently, holding his jointed hands close to his chest. – You shall be my child then. May I call you baby?

The way the creative side squeaked and turned red under his feigned innocent look had Lo filled with enjoyment. Oh, this was going to be so much fun. He watched as Roman squirmed to hide his face in his hands, pressing the weird sock thing against his eyes, like that would hide him from the world.

\- I’ll take your silence as a no – he stared at the ceiling, thinking of what other embarrassing things he could call him. – Oh, what about little prince? Or your highness?

Even his ears were red at his point, and a sharp glare passed right through him when Deceit was about to break up character.

\- You little shit.

\- I won’t tolerate that language, Roman – he made his best to make his tone sound calm, but firm, letting him know that despite the fact that he was playing this game, the stakes weren’t the same for the royal.

Creativity still tried to press against his will, even if the thought of making Logan mad made his heart hurt. Gathering the shatters of his confidence he held his head high, looking up at the snake in front of him and going through his defense in his mind. Just as he was about to open his mouth to contradict him, Logan stepped closer and dropped a hand over his head, very slowly starting to pet his hair. They both knew such an act of affection was extremely out of character for the Logic they knew now, but it was needed to strengthen Roman’s trust on him.

All thoughts fled him the more he let himself be pet, his body relaxing against his own will. He knew that was Deceit, he knew it wasn’t really Logan, but that information was shoved to the back of his head and promptly forgotten as he leaned into the touch.

\- I can simply call you Roman – he whispered, not wanting to admit that maybe he had gone a bit too far. – I want you to know this is a safe space. Judging is figuratively held away past these walls.

His relaxed muscles gave out without notice, and his head rapidly dropped against Logan’s shoulder, the only sign he was aware of what was happening was the small, cute giggle muffled by the black polo shirt.

\- I know, papa – the little prince mumbled, his eyes suddenly very heavy. – Will you protect me from the bad dreams?

Deceit was very surprised for a second, his hand stopping his ministrations as he stared down at the mop of golden brown hair. That was new information to him. Both of the Creative Twins had nightmares? Part of him wanted to pry, to be noisy and use Roman’s state to rip the answers to his questions out of him, but the other, bigger part called out for him to be patient, to wait for the details to come to him once he had solidified their bond. He must have gone quiet for too long, his role forgotten as Roman’s soft voice reached his ears.

\- Papa? – scared, insecure eyes peeked up at him, and nothing ever had broken his resolve faster.

\- My apologies – he gently tangled his fingers in his hair, trying to distract him from his fears. – Papa is very tired too. I can’t promise you that, but I can assure you of my company.

\- Okay...

Seems like that wasn’t the right reply, fuck. The lying side quickly ran through the options in his mind, landing on one at random to not sink this boat further. His free hand came up in the air, closing it into a fist as he twisted his wrist inwards. The room obeyed his command, and the bed squirmed and whined as it stretched, comically getting big enough for two people to fit in it and with plenty of room to spare.

Roman stared at it, curiosity clear in his eyes.

\- Will a session of cuddles ease your concerns? – he offered, and Roman’s eyes were suddenly so wide they almost looked like they were going to pop out.

He got no verbal answer, receiving instead a rough tug on his arm as the fanciful side grabbed at it and threw him in the bed. Deceit didn’t even have time to feel confused or scared before Roman was jumping on top of him, arms and legs stretched in the air. The impact was just as painful as he was expecting, forcing all the air out of his lungs as the prince smiled happily, clinging to his torso like a koala. The snake stayed still for a moment, feeling the warm of the hug spreading comfortably through his chest.

Despite everything, he wasn’t going to deny this felt pleasant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, how was that?! I didnt wanna make roman being trans a plot point, just a fact, that existed, but i added that change kinda last minute, and i also got really sick recently, so if the second part of the chapter doesnt make any sense, its because of that. Besides that, i really hope this didnt come out as Roceit, because that was not my intention, but even i got vibes of that from this so idk x3
> 
> Plus, little p.s. , the demiboy thing was me having my turn on the projecting into a character. I do feel dysphoria sometimes, so i hope the roman bit felt realistic.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im baaaaack! Im very excited about this one, but for all kinda bad reasons x3  
One thats not spoilery its the fact that i went just a tinzy wizzy overboard, so this has 8000 words. So you better go grab some snacks or prepare to not sleep today, because this is gonna be a ride. I promise its mostly fluff tho. The other reason is now in the tags. Im in a queerplatonic relationship myself, with my lovely prince, so if it doesnt feel realistic or weird somehow, its because i drew from my own experiences, as ive barely accepted im aro, and its all very new for me. I tried my best, so I hope you like it!

Roman, quite literally, fell asleep as soon as his head landed on Deceit’s chest, and the snake side would be lying if he said he hadn’t followed him not too long afterwards. But then again, that was basically his job, so it wouldn’t be so bad if he tried to deny how comfortable and fuzzy he felt for being useful to yet another side. He’d never admit it out of embarrassment, but the feeling was there. His acting skills must also have been extremely sharp, because he had never seen the fanciful side relax as quickly as he did.

Unfortunately, Dee was the first to wake up. He slept way past breakfast and lunch, checking with heavy lidded eyes that it was 2 pm, somehow. The weight of the creative side’s head pressed back against his chest when he sighed tiredly. He wanted nothing more than to drift back to sleep, but he realized with diluted frustration that his power hadn’t charged up at all, even if he did feel a bit more rested.

Roman didn’t even stir while Deceit stared at the ceiling, thinking about what he should do. He had made a promise, if not only to himself, that he’d take care of this idiot and make sure he was okay. He was resting now, so there wasn’t much he could do, and his room was probably the less problematic out of all the other options, but he couldn’t just leave Thomas’s ego alone. At least, not while he was like this.

Almost comically, he found himself poking the sleeping side, smiling weakly when the little prince whined under his breath and rolled away from the touch, falling sideways on the bed with a soft thump, away from Deceit. The snake almost reacted to the lack of contact, suddenly so very cold. He caught himself right on time, retreating the arms that had reached out for the other. Even if he knew it didn’t make any sense, Dee couldn’t bring himself to cuddle Roman just for the warmth. He hadn’t been given permission to do it. Nor even implied consent or whatever lie he tried to come up with. And a sleeping body couldn’t answer him, so he forced himself out of bed, dragging his heavy pile of useless bones around the room as he waved a hand around, turning back into himself.

Just as he did so, his heart squeezed in his chest. He was confused for a second, his brain just a step behind due to the thick curtain of tiredness that hung around it. He was wearing a onesie, which was a pretty neutral thing; he even had the hood over his head. So why did he feel... wrong? His bare hands rubbed his face, the feeling of his cool scales over the human side of it being extremely comforting during these dark times.

The guilt clang heavy to their chest, making them peek at Roman one last time. They couldn’t leave him alone, but they needed to recharge, and they couldn’t do that here. And besides, the faster they took care of themselves, the faster they could come back to check on Creativity. Quickly, well, as quickly as they could, looked around and meticulously grabbed a pillow, focusing on it for a second before tucking it between Roman’s arms, feeling their chest remember the warmth as the little prince cuddled into it, a shadow of a smile tugging at his lips.

\- I’ll be right back – they whispered to no one, giving into their instincts and gently petting his hair before sinking out.

Just by popping up they almost scared Patton to death, the exhaustion making their landing spot just a little to the left. Deceit could simply watch, practically in slow motion, as the basket full of laundry that the other held fell to the floor.

\- Jesus! – Morality giggled nervously, holding a hand over his pounding heart. – You really scared me there, mister!

Deceit almost flinched, but forcibly reminded themselves that they were in the closet still for most of the sides, so they couldn’t possibly insult them on purpose. Probably.

\- That’s my job – they shrugged and stepped closer, dropping their head over his shoulder and nuzzling into the soft feeling of his cat sweater. – I need a favor.

The moral side immediately focused all of his attention on his friend, trying to downplay the worry that bloomed in his chest at sensing the extreme wave of burnout coming from Deceit. The least he could do was listen to what he had to say, hoping he could be of any help, even if his curiosity was kind of getting in the way.

Meanwhile, just a couple of steps away from there, Logan and Virgil basked in the comfort of silent company. Logic was sitting on one of the couches, posture perfectly straight, a book in hand, as his standard way of enjoying the little break he was forced to take. As for Anxiety, he was sprawled all over the other sofa, a leg over the back of it, and earbuds in place while scrolling through Tumblr. He wasn’t even hearing anything, just keeping them there in case he wanted to hear something.

The little devil was the only reason the teacher had even left the room in the first place, and honestly, he was kinda bored for not having anything more exciting to do. But he had to stay here to make sure Logan didn’t overwork himself to death, which seemed to be his tendency every time Thomas summoned him. I mean, he got why he did that, but even considering the tight schedules and due dates, he was being weirder than usual. Plus, he couldn’t stop sensing this odd flickering in Logan’s aura, that happened every now and then. The anxious side couldn’t help but get extremely concerned every time it happened, wondering if his friend was sick or if this was a bigger, more specific soul problem that he, as one of the younger sides, couldn’t understand. But every time he checked his posture, or even tried hinting at that phenomenon, Logic pretended he didn’t know what he was talking about, or directed their conversation in a different direction. In all honesty, Virgil almost gathered up the courage to get up and play the part on being offended, but he was too selfish for that. First, because then he’d probably make Logan feel even worst about whatever was troubling him, and second, because he wouldn’t dare let himself be alone with his own thoughts. Not right now, at least. To say the dark side was freaking out about having cuddled Dad all night was an understatement.

Either way, none of them were even near ready for the squeaky Patton that came sprinting into the Common Room, spitting out gibberish as he vaguely gestured to the special cat pouch his sweater has. The logical side was the only one that seemed vaguely aware of what was happening, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Virgil had somehow fallen off the couch, looking pretty shaken up. The nerd contemplated worriedly as his fellow side worked with what he got, accepting his fate, legs now on the cushions as the rest of his body rested against the carpet. That couldn’t possibly be comfortable, and he was about to make a remark about that situation, when another high pitched sound made him focus back on the destroyer of their peace.

\- Yes, Patton? – he asked, trying to mask his annoyance for losing the line he was reading.

The heart quickly squeaked again and clapped his hands excitedly a couple of times before pressing them against his own chubby cheeks. The air around him almost glowed from how much he was stimming.

\- Ask me what I have in my pouch – he rapidly spitted out.

\- What-

\- I got Deceit in my pouch! – he replied just as fast, even though Logan hadn’t even managed to hear what he had said the first time.

Wanting to know what the fuss was all about, Virgil curiously peeked at Patton, and was immediately knocked back by his blinding smile. Even upside down he looked cute. He didn’t even have the hood pulled over his head, but the sweater still looked good on him without it, the way the sleeves hugged his hands making the father figure more approachable somehow. The anxious side wouldn’t be able to tell you why he kept staring at him, just only half aware that he was doing just that. Maybe it was because the moral side seemed so happy, or maybe it was because he rarely used his sweater, and his brain was trying to compensate for every second of it. But then again, why was he wearing it instead of his blue polo?? Oh right, it was laundry day.

Something primal and childish of him tossed and turned violently, making him remember that just a few hours ago, _he_ had been the one that had worn that sweater, that Dad had given it to him willingly and now he was using it without any shame. He knew the sweater had been a present from Logan, they all knew that, but somehow that kind gesture coming from the coldest out of all of them seemed so small, compared to the moments he had shared with Patton yesterday. Maybe the fabric even smelled like him still.

Thankfully, a quiet hiss cut through his uncomfortable thoughts, one of Deceit’s snake heads peeking out of the pouch, tiny bowler hat not forgotten. All the sides had the vague suspicion that he could talk while in his snake form, since Virgil had been caught speaking with the yellow pile of scales once, but he seemed to get mostly nonverbal during these times; by choice or by accident, no one knew exactly.

Anxiety coughed before speaking, to make sure his voice didn’t break. He totally wasn’t nervous, why would he be nervous.

\- What are you doing in there?

\- He’s cold – Patton replied for Deceit, smiling so wide his cheeks hurt. – So you both please be real quiet cuz he’s gonna take a nap now.

Logan blinked in disbelief, looking at Virgil right when the side did the same. Yea, like they weren’t in complete silence before he got there. They didn’t take it too much to heart though, since the moral side couldn’t have possibly known the state they were in previously, in part because he wasn’t present. Anxiety didn’t seem to care, even, sluggishly going back to scrolling mindlessly, and so Logan decided to also go back to his corresponding activity, or at least attempt to. He shifted around to get more comfortable, holding the book closer to himself as he searched for the place he had lost. He had just found the line when he felt the couch dip by his side, Patton slowly sitting down next to him. He was holding the pouch from underneath, like a pregnant lady would hold her belly, and Logan couldn’t help but wonder why exactly he was doing that.

\- Can I sit here? – he whispered, despite already having done that.

\- Uhm, yes? – Logan replied a bit confused, once again trying to return to his reading.

There was a giggle, and he was vaguely aware the heart was fidgeting with his hands. He’d say he could feel his excitement if that was actually possible, but from how happy Morality was, maybe that could be less of a failed theory. Logan sighed before turning to him again, knowing he wouldn’t stay still until someone talked to him.

\- Yes, Patton?

\- Shh, he’s sleeping already – he replied quietly, pointing down at the bundle of yellow on his lap.

Logic looked down and noticed that Deceit did indeed seem to be sleeping. He wasn’t totally sure, since his eyes were still wide open, but he was aware most snake species kept them like that while resting. That didn’t clear a speck of his confusion, however.

\- Patton, he’s just sleeping. It is something we all do – he murmured, trying to be respectful for their companion. – Would you squeal like you seem to be repressing if you saw me sleeping?

\- Yes – came the excited reply, and a small giggle when Logan made his disappointed expression. – That’s just how I am. – he reached his hand down to very gently pet Dee’s head with his finger, and had to bit his lip very hard to not react to the way he leaned into his touch. – It just makes me remember the old times, you know?

The way his voice suddenly softened around the edges appealed to the curious side of Logan, and he calmly lowered his book, closing it in his lap. That story could always be finished some other time, but this couldn’t wait. Just by his side, Patton had watched his calculated movements with bated breath, having known him for long enough to know that meant he could talk his ears out without bothering him.

\- Not exactly, but I’m sure you were about to clarify that for me – he smiled softly, and Morality couldn’t help but scoot closer, wrapping his right arm around Logan’s left one.

\- When we were kids, remember? – he started, his voice uncharacteristically serious. – When we’d have sleepovers past bedtime, in the Common Room?

Logic felt a small squeeze in his heart, realizing what he was talking about. The reality of those memories was much darker than the cat lover made it out to be, but he wasn’t going to be the one to point that out. Not when Patton had that look in his eyes. It always stole the words away from him, no matter how illogical it was.

\- Deceit was always the one that came to get us – he smiled sadly, and only then did Logan realize Patton wasn’t trying to sugar coat those memories, like he had first assumed. – We’d build a pillow fort right here, while he tried to...

The logical side exhaled calmly, leaning his head over Patton’s. His chest felt heavy, his stomach empty. He’d prefer if they didn’t have this conversation, but Morality rarely opened up to any of the sides about his feelings. This was considered improvement, all in all, even if it pained him to hear his weak voice, to force him to remember.

\- Yea. – Patton wrapped it up, leaving the rest of the sentence unsaid. – It’s really bittersweet, but it was fun, right?

Logan nodded in agreement, and pondered on how to deviate their conversation away from the most dangerous bits of his memories. They sticked to every bit of light he desperately tried to save, and contaminated every second of happiness he could get out of them. He suspected that the same scenario was happening to their heart, judging by his expressions. Letting his feelings guide him for once, he reached his hands for the one his friend was using to pet Deceit, wrapping it in safety. He heard the small gasp, and he wasn’t necessarily ignoring it, but he couldn’t leave Patton feeling like this. Not when his hand was shaking so much between his.

\- I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this particular topic – he started, unsure where he was going to take this. – Remember the silly stars you glued to my ceiling?

He heard the moral side giggle weakly under him, and then move around, pressing closer to him. Of course he remembered. It was the last night they had spent with the King. He had propped him up on his strong shoulders, laughter magically echoing around them as Patton held the glowey stars to the ceiling, Deceit hissing and pointing to where they should be glued, in order to make the patterns look like constellations.

\- Yea. What about them?

Distractedly, Logan caressed his hand with his thumb, remembering the exact same memory; remembering how his cheeks hurted from smiling at the final product, and how much he had cried when the King split up right the next day, before he could thank him for his kind gesture.

\- The glow isn’t as bright anymore. And some have fallen off. I’d like to ask you to help me restore them to their former glory.

Patton tensed all over, grabbing his hand firmly before immediately letting go of it, slowly breathing in and out. The fact that Logic couldn’t see his expressions by the way they had clipped to each other like puzzle pieces bothered him slightly, but he wouldn’t dare move now, might that increase the heart’s discomfort.

\- You can refuse – he reassured him, grasping his hand between his own. – I simply have been meaning to ask for someone’s assistance for the task, since I can’t-

An easy giggle cut through his frantic speech, and Patton grabbed their jointed hands and kissed one of Logan’s, moving his face closer to the crook of his neck, in hopes of tickling him. The conversation had gotten too serious too quickly, and he didn’t have the brain capacity for handling it right now.

\- I’d never refuse that, you silly professor – he yawned and let some more of his weight fall onto his partner. – I’ll talk about that to Deceit when he wakes up. He’s a softy on the inside. I’m sure he will want to be there too.

Logan nodded, to not leave him without a reply, and wondered why Patton was suddenly so tired. His grip on his hands never faltered, however, supporting him until he could hear his soft breathing evening out. It must have been around the time for one of his naps, but it was almost ridiculous how fast he had fallen asleep. His eyes fell to his lap, to the snake sharing the same dream state, and the dots connected in his mind. Deceit must have been recharging. It bothered him slightly, the very obvious possibility that the snake might have decided to do that without warning Patton that was the case, but he knew their soft idiot would probably let him do it either way.

Watching their predicament from the beginning, Virgil almost felt bad for spying on them. Granted, he could barely hear what they were talking about, his ear buds blocking out some of the outside noise even without music coming out of them; and it would just be plain out rude if he took them out, so he worked with what he got. It looked like they were talking about the past, the time before he popped up to wreck everything. An electric feeling coursed down his arms and he discreetly rubbed his left one, trying to distract himself with the softness of his jacket. “Shut it”, he hissed at himself, staring at his knees. “You’re not a nuisance. Not anymore. You’ve changed. And this isn’t even about you. Probably”.

At least, he tried to believe that, but some part of him kept denying the facts, deciding that feeling miserable was way more fun. He sighed heavily and threw his head back, watching Logan internally freaking out, as he was torn between letting go of Patton’s hand or not. He let himself smile at the nerd, before shifting his attention to Morality. His glasses were askew, and right at the end of his nose. His hands itched with the need to go there and either pushed them back to their place or take them off, but he knew if he did that, the moral side would immediately wake up.

“Is anything concerning you, Virgil?”, Logan’s voice suddenly echoed in his head, and he had to pretend really hard he didn’t almost jump out of his skin, feeling the panic rapidly coursing through him.

“No, not really”, he replied, but he could tell that wouldn’t shake off the nerd that easily, by the determined look he casted his way.

Logic didn’t speak right away, however, looking down at his hands, that still held one of Patton’s, and brought them close to his heart. Why must emotions plague him like this? At least in that regard, his power was a blessing. He could convey his thoughts like he so desired, no connotations or voice tones dripping with feeling to distract him from his goal. Plus, he wouldn’t wake up Patton this way, either. Sleep was very important, after all.

“Have you been sleeping well, V?”, he asked, his voice weirdly soft, but his eyes didn’t meet the anxious side’s ones, staring straight ahead.

“Well”, the dark side began, smiling sheepishly “What do you think?”

Oh, there they were, Logan’s concerned eyes.

“If I’m asking, it’s because I don’t hold the answer to that question.”

“Yea, I know, L”, Virgil shook his head, considering his options. His gaze fell back on Patton, part of his tension melting as he remembered the wonderful dream he had, thanks to his room. “It... It has had his ups and downs. I _feel_ rested, if that will make you less worried.”

“Oh, I’m not worried”, came the reply immediately, and Virgil had to bite his lip really hard not to laugh. “What seems to be so funny?”

“Your denial is adorable”, he smirked and carefully tugged his legs to himself, rolling around on the floor until he was sitting with his back against the couch. “We’re both okay, nerd.”

A knot in his heart slowly loosened at his words, and Logic was suddenly hit by a wave of an emotion he couldn’t quite name. He should react accordingly, with a small giggle or with an equal teasing remark, but something stopped him. His eyes watered and itched, and he rapidly worked to rub the tears away, but Virgil noticed them anyways.

Just as the anxious side was about to freak out, he spotted Patton’s pouch shaking and moving. It was something any other side would have easily let slip, but since his eyes focused on it, they wouldn’t let go of it now. The sides simply watched as a panicked looking Deceit rapidly slithered out of the warm pocket where they had stayed for the last half an hour, their dual heads quickly analyzing their surroundings, before deciding on taking the stairs to reach the dark corner of Thomas’s mind. For some odd reason, they could never open their portals on the Common Room while in their snake form, and shifting back and then doing so would just bring too many questions to the sides watching them, so they had to make do with what they had.

Even so, a snake sliding up the stairs shouldn’t have been as funny as it looked, and Virgil actually had to cover his mouth to contain his sudden need to laugh. Logan, the ever so serious individual, only huffed out a breath, letting his lips stretch out as he rubbed his eyes.

“Alright, I think this qualifies as enough “break time” for now”, he directed at Virgil, who was curiously looking at him with wide eyes. Little did he know he had let some of his happiness slip into his tone.

“Uhm, yea, I guess”. His eyes fell on Patton, before going back to the nerd “What about him?”

Logan frowned slightly, and then followed his gaze, having completely forgotten he was still holding onto Patton like his life depended on it. Virgil couldn’t ignore the way Logic’s soul flickered on that moment, how his cheeks tainted pink, when the other rarely blushed. A hole opened in his chest at the realization of what was happening, his mind rapidly searching for counter evidence that could deny his theory. No, this couldn’t be happening. Logan couldn’t be in love with-

“I’m sure he will be left in good hands”, his friend cut through his thoughts, his soft gaze directed at him now.

Anxiety took a moment to tone down his suspicions before replying, but it really wasn’t easy. Not when they were so convincing.

“But you can’t move. You’re gonna wake him up.”

“Oh, not necessarily. I’ve been practicing.”

A smirk slipped into Logan’s tone, even if he wasn’t smirking, and the foreboding feeling that was encompassed into that sentence made Virgil’s skin crawl.

“Wait, what do you mean-“

There was a firm and precise snap of fingers, and when he blinked next, he wasn’t sitting on the floor anymore. The couch felt warm through his clothes, but he felt even warmer on the inside when he could finally register the weight on his shoulder, and the pressure against his arm. He desperately looked around the room, ready to kill Logan, but he was nowhere in sight. A frustrated sigh escaped him and he sank in his seat, running a hand through his purple hair. “That fucker is gonna pay for this”, he thought, the voice in his head full of harmless venom, that quickly dissipated when Patton breathed out and shifted closer to him, wrapping both of his arms around his left one.

He held his breath for as long as he could manage, peeking at him out of the corner of his eye. Yea, he was still sleeping, but that didn’t calm his pounding heart. Slowly, he breathed in and out, focusing on anything besides Patton. He didn’t need this right now, goddamnit! His body did seem to relax slightly, so he kept that up for a few more seconds, until he decided he had dissipated enough tension out of his shoulders.

Now that he was less flustered, the practically empty Common Room echoed an eerie silence. Virgil still tried to check if he could catch any sounds coming from upstairs, but Logan must have already sat down for the rest of the day, and Roman’s lazy ass must have still been sleeping. Well, time to let his thoughts fill in the space, he supposed.

He couldn’t help but go back to analyzing what had happened. The hole in his chest was still there, and it got more noticeable the more he thought about it. That could be the only explanation, right? I mean, he had never sensed anything like that coming from the others, and Logan had been restless all morning. The flickering had stopped once Patton stepped into the room, and came back full force when he fell asleep. There was no other logical answer, unless there were other facts he was missing. But there couldn’t be. Because his theory would explain a lot of shit. Like how Logan seemed more relaxed around Patton, how he constantly worried for him even if he kept denying it, how he was okay with cuddles coming from the heart, but none of the others. Yes, they had been the first two facets to form, and they literally knew each other from diapers, but this felt like just a step out of the platonic zone of things. Hell, they were pretty close to each other too, and the nerd never acted like that around him!

Virgil gritted his teeth without even realizing, frustration mixing in with something cold and dark. Not quite jealousy, but close. Unless not even Logan knew what was happening, this could mean bad news. If Patton returned his feelings, then he’d lose not one, but two friends. And he wasn’t even being pessimist, it was just facts. They’d want to spend more time with the other, so Virgil couldn’t get in the way of that. And then time would pass, and he would never feel comfortable enough to break them apart so either of them could help him if he needed. He pressed his nails against his palms, the crescent moon marks burning as blood prickled out. He needed to get ahold of himself, or this could spiral down very fast. But fucking hell, Patton was his Dad, his only! He had just gotten him, and now he was going to lose him!

The anxious side took in a shaky breath and curled his hands more firmly, finally noticing how unstable he was getting.

-You’re gonna wake him up- he mumbled angrily, focusing on thinking of something positive to balance out the sudden wave of negative emotions.

Ironically, his brain provided him with memories of just the day before. The cookies had almost been a huge disaster, but the close call left them just a bit too crunchy, instead of burned. For once, Patton had summoned dinner instead of making it, saying they had messed with the oven enough for the day, and keeping it magically warm at the table as they ate their pizza in front of the Tv. Remus and Deceit had passed by to get their portions, both grabbing their fair share and going back to their rooms with a few word exchanges; fewer than usual, but just enough to not worry the father figure. Thankfully, they hadn’t noticed Virgil, but he had also curled up almost under the couch to not be seen, so he and Patton just watched cartoons until it was time for bed.

He noticed that, just by remembering these memories, he could feel his consciousness slipping, his thought process getting simpler and more childish. He did calm down from his rage fit, but now he just felt sad. He couldn’t just keep Patton all to himself; that would be selfish. But he also didn’t want to lose him...

The anxious side let himself look at the side in question, sighing in relief at the confirmation he was still resting, and allowed his body to get what it craved, his free arm coming around Patton’s shoulders as he nuzzled his cheek into his hair. He felt himself relaxing, but his mind was restless still, fixated on the possibility of never having another day like the one he had yesterday. Or another night, for that matter. He scooted closer to the warmth just from recalling it. Daddy’s arms are soft and comforting, like he had imagined, and they did protect him from nightmares, just like he had promised. He felt extremely silly now for having left in the middle of the night, not even wanting to imagine how the heart felt at waking up to an empty bed.

A quiet hum cut right through the whimper he was about to let out, and then Patton was moving, frowning in sleepy confusion at Virgil’s chest, slowly lifting his arms to pet his jacket. Anxiety could barely breathe, not daring to move until he said something. Thankfully, a weak giggle sounded not too long afterwards, as the moral side nuzzled into his shoulder.

\- Hi there, kiddo – he yawned, leaning his weight into him. – Where’s Logy?

The nickname almost brought tears to his eyes, but he focused on pushing them away, keeping his arm loosely around him, his brain quickly trying to change the setting back to grown up Anxiety.

\- He had to go, and, uhm, he didn’t wanna wake you, so he kinda, uh – he gestured with his hand vaguely, even if he knew Patton couldn’t see it. – Yea.

Another giggle, and then a nod.

\- Alrighty, makes sense – he shifted around, and only then did he noticed the lack of a weight on his sweater. – Where did my cute snake go??

The pout was audible in his voice, and the sight of Dee “running” up the stairs brought a small smile to his lips anyways.

\- Don’t know. He just, uh – he thought about it for a second, shrugging slightly. – I really don’t know why. He just got out and went up the stairs. ‘s prolly in his room now.

Another nod, and it was quiet for a few milliseconds, until Patton was wrapping his arms around Virgil, feeling his heart warming up because Virgil’s did just that. If he let himself, he could drift back to sleep just like this, but he didn’t want to force his kiddo to endure that again.

\- Okay. I still got my kiddo, so it’s not all bad.

He shifted around, peeking directly at his anxious son and smiling warmly.

\- Also, you’re more cuddly than usual. Everything okay, sport?

Patton couldn’t ignore how Virgil tensed up in his arms, how his expressions fell slightly. For a moment, the heart thought he might have intruded on something he shouldn’t, but the anxious side hadn’t tried to come up with an excuse, or let go of him so he could drop the subject, and that gave him hope that Virgil might still talk about what was going through his mind. It was still painfully quiet for a really long time, or at least, it felt like it, until he watched Virgil’s lips moving.

\- I, uhm... – he watched as he looked away, noticing his grip on him slowly tightening. – Can sides get sick? Not like, flu sick, cuz that has happened. Like... soul sick? That’s not the right word, fuck...

Morality barely scolded him for the swear, simply pouting a little.

\- Soul sick? Didn’t even know we had souls!

Virgil’s eyebrows knitted together, and finally, his brown eyes were on him. The mismatched ones were much better, but if he felt more comfy like this, then who was he to judge.

\- You can’t see them??

\- See what, kiddo?

The way Patton looked at him was the closest impression of a cat he had ever seen on him, his round eyes focused on lock, his head slightly tilted. The cuteness of the image almost distracted him enough to forget to answer.

\- The, souls. Our souls. You said you could feel what we felt.

Morality squinted his eyes at him, feeling his mind processing the information, until it all clicked together.

-Oh! – the huge smile that came with the realization was worth more than anything on this world. – Oh, that’s so cool.

Virgil was more than just confused by his reaction.

\- Wait, what’s cool??

\- Your powers! – his voice sounded slightly childish from excitement. – Just like mine. But different still.

Patton was sure the anxious side had barely blinked to try to get what he was saying.

\- Uhm...?

\- Sorry – he giggled sheepishly, his tongue peeking from between his teeth. – What I mean is, I feel what you guys feel, in here – he pointed at his shirt, just over where his heart is. – But you don’t! You _see_ our feelings, through, uhm, auras?

\- Well, I mean – his dad’s excitement was messing up with his thought process. – I guess we can call it that?? But I think it’s only for bad stuff. So, uhm, that’s why I was asking, about this...

His happiness clearly toned down a little, and Virgil couldn’t help but feel infinitely bad about it.

\- Hmm, I don’t think we can get soul sick?? At least that’s never happened before. – his hand rubbing Virgil’s back acted completely on his own, but he was glad to see it seemed comforting. – Can I ask if you’re talking about someone in particular?

Anxiety was sure he’d feel worst if the look Patton was giving him didn’t basically translate that the father figure thought he was talking about himself. He was still hesitant about sharing that information, either way, afraid of what might happen if he does. Nonetheless, he could see Patton was getting restless, so he needed to give him an answer.

\- It’s... it’s about Logan-

\- Logan? – he cut him off before he could continue, sounded extremely surprised.

\- Uhm, yea – he reached his hand for the zipper of his left sleeve, but only held the little piece of metal between his fingers, staring at it. – He... The whole time he was here, his soul kept kinda like, flickering. And he wouldn’t tell me what the hell was happening, so I shut up about it after a while.

He finished his sentence with a shrug, not wanting to give any of his theory points away by accident. And Patton looked very focused, to say the least, so he must have some opinions about it too.

\- Okay – he said, dragging out the word. – Did his soul flicker while I was around?

It sounded like a completely honest question, maybe to rule out some options, even, but the hole in Virgil’s chest reacted to it, almost like pulsing. It hurt too. He didn’t want to say it, he didn’t want to admit it. Should he lie about it? Patton was patiently waiting for a reply, and the longer he waited for it, the more suspicious it would look. Maybe even feel, if he stressed enough about it.

\- I... – he started shakily, for once just wanting to rip Patton’s gaze away from him. – Yea...

That’s it, he had done it. He was gonna lose both of them now, he knew it-

\- Oh – he giggled nervously, almost embarrassed. – I know what that is.

Patton didn’t explain further, though, and on that moment, Virgil almost wanted to shake the answer out of him.

\- So?? – he looked at the moral side with feigned honest curiosity. - Is he sick or not?

\- Well – the heart’s voice sounded airy, like he wanted to laugh. – Not in the way you’re thinking.

His skin literally crawled with panic, the reply not being even near any of what he was expecting. He didn’t even try to mask his concern, pulling away from Morality to face him directly.

\- What is that supposed to mean??

His voice sounded serious and afraid to his own ears, and he preferred to focus on not cringing about the way Patton’s expressions reacted to it.

\- He’s lovesick! – he punctuated with a shy chuckle, and it was like Virgil’s world crumbled around him. - But! Not in the way you think either.

\- Goddamnit, Patton! – he looked exasperated, the words spilling from his mouth. – Just tell me what’s happening, please.

Morality’s smile immediately dropped. His plea was so close to a whimper he was afraid Virgil might actually start crying, and his heart was squeezed so tight he couldn’t even tell how he was feeling.

\- Hey hey, kiddo... – he gently reached a hand to cup his cheek, but hesitated on touching him halfway through, rubbing his arm instead. – He’s okay. I promise he’s okay. I’m sorry I tried to joke with it.

Virgil immediately shook his head, gulping down the choking feeling on his throat.

\- N-No, I’m sorry for freaking out. Just... keep saying what you were saying.

The moral side stared at him, almost like he was searching for further confirmation than what he had gotten already. His expressions did ease out after a while, so there was at least that.

\- Okay. I’m not very good with words, but I’m gonna try to explain it the best I can – his chest raised and fell when he breathed in and out. – So, you know how me and Logan were the first ones to form, right?

Virgil only gave him a meek nod in reply.

\- Okay, good – Patton said off handedly, picking the end of his sweater to fidget with it. – So, in a way, we’re almost like brothers. Not like, Roman and Remus, but the feeling, you know? Like, Thomas feels about some of his friends, you know?

Again, another nod. He seemed to be following his reasoning so far, but that didn’t make the moral side feel any less nervous.

\- But one day, Lo came to me with doubts, about it. And it was just around the same time he started feeling bad for having feelings, so you can imagine how stressed he was. The poor puppy.

The nicknames made Virgil’s heart tingle with almost jealously, and leaving him impatient. He just wanted an answer right now! But he couldn’t just hurry him up when he could sense _and_ see the way his soul got wavy around the edges, how it looked heavy, however that was possible. There was no way he didn’t feel anxious about whatever he wanted to talk about.

\- But anyways – he gripped the end of his sweater tighter. – I honestly didn’t know the answer, because I felt just like he did, so we did our own research. I couldn’t find anything particularly fitting, but Logan came to me again after a week. I swear, it looked like he hadn’t slept _at all _during that week_, _so I just got more worried for him!

Patton looked at him straight in the eyes, and the sudden situation made a shiver go down his spine. He felt bad for Logan now, but the intensity the moral side was acting out made it look like he was almost re-living the experience, which didn’t leave him to explore much of his own feelings freely.

\- I’m gonna try not to out him, or anything, cuz I know his label now, but he told he had doubts about being gay- our boy Thomathy already had starting thinking he was gay – Patton quickly added. He was talking really fast in general. – So! He had doubts still, but not about everything. He found this definition online, and he tried his best to explain it to me, but honestly, I still don’t really get it.

He took a deep breath, and patted his own chest, smiling shyly. He kinda built up the suspense by accident as he tried to think about how to organize his next words, but he was sure he’d shake all over if he didn’t have this little moment, so there was that.

\- Okay, need to slow down there – a giggle and another breath. – He found this definition. Queerplatonic partners. From what I got, it’s kinda like, uhm, an inbetween, between friends and boyfriends, but not exactly.

He kept pronouncing certain words with more intent than others, to make sure Virgil didn’t get lost, but honestly, he was barely following. It was too much to take in, and his head was starting to feel like it was curling into itself, a beginning of a headache. He was curious, however, and Patton was making a huge effort, from what he got from his fidgeting, so he needed to follow this. For his sake.

\- Anyways, you can ask Logan later for a better explanation. But... – the air suddenly changed, Patton’s hands calming down slightly as a soft smile creeped onto his lips. – You should have seen him. He was so brave. He was so scared but he still talked to me... He only came by to tell me about the word, but I couldn’t leave him like that. I shared the, well, lack of info I had gotten, and hugged him very tight. I didn’t exactly told him to be boyfriends, cuz yea, that’s not the thingy, something – he let out a soft laugh, the words escaping him. – I asked him to be in that type of relationship with him. Because, on that moment, it just... felt right. He didn’t accept it right away cuz I made him go to bed right after that, but when he woke up, he just, had the cutest little smile on his face.

Patton’s expressions were full of nostalgia, like he could picture the moment second by second, a film playing out right in front of him. His hands had curled up over his heart at some point, letting the soft mixture of cold and warm envelop his being.

\- He said yes, of course, and thank god he hasn’t regretted that, because I haven’t either – his smile widened just the tiniest bit. – It’s been, uhm... 7 years, I think? Yea.

Virgil’s eyes were wide like dinner plates when he finally looked him in the eyes, and he couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled in his chest. He noticed how his cheeks tainted pink, even through his makeup, and how he softened his expressions, showing him only through body language that he could keep talking if he needed to.

\- Sorry, I couldn’t help myself – he reached a hand up to clean his eyes under his glasses, his smile never leaving his face. – But that’s the story! I talked your ears out, they must be about to fall off!

Ah, there it was. Constant, joking Patton. He even put on the effort by grabbing one of Virgil’s ears gently and checking if it was still connected with his head. The anxious side waved his hand close to it, like he was swatting away a fly, but he was smiling too.

\- It’s cool. I, uhm – he coughed a little, adjusting his jacket. – Didn’t know that was a thing.

He felt conflicted now, in all honesty. He felt relieved that everything was alright with Logan, and his more negative hypothesis were proved wrong if he was still friends with them both, when he didn’t even know they were in a relationship. But something was still bothering him, for some reason. He wasn’t sure if it was because Patton would then logically be closer to Logic because of that, or if the itching in his heart was due to not fully understanding the term. Maybe even both.

\- But, I’m happy, for the both of you – and he really was.

\- Aww, thanks kiddo. We’re happy for it too – Patton’s hand tangled in his purple strands and gently played with them, a soft smile in place. – I’m really proud of you too.

\- Uh, for what, exactly?? I didn’t do anything.

\- Exactly! Well, kinda – he chuckled quietly. – You weren’t afraid to ask me about what was bothering you, _and_ you let me talk to the end so you could understand it better. And uhm, you accepted it pretty well. That’s more than I could ever ask for.

His voice deflated towards the end of the sentence, and that rubbed off on Virgil in the wrong way.

\- Did you talk about this to anyone else and they didn’t accept it?

\- I mean, not exactly. – his eyes grew distant, and on that moment, Anxiety regretted asking about it. – Da- Deceit wasn’t... the most supportive, when he first find out about it.

Virgil widened his eyes, barely believing what he was hearing. Thankfully, Patton quickly stopped his plans of vengeance.

\- Ah, but not like that! He didn’t understand it all that well, and we were still pretty young. He has been making an effort since then, I can tell – he smiled a little, but it didn’t look genuine. – I feel like he’s afraid of something, but he won’t tell me what it is. If it’s connected with me and Logy, I couldn’t tell, but yea.

The dark side nodded slowly and patted Patton’s shoulder out of whim, hoping it would make him feel better. It did seem to work, though, by the way his whole face lighted up. Contrary to what he had planned, his hand just stayed there, his thought process slowing down. He forced a blink, trying to clear up his mind and remember what he was going to say, doing his best to sound nonchalant.

\- I’ll try talking to him about that, okay? If the topic comes up, you know?

He must have been hallucinating, because Morality blushed a pretty shade of red and nodded vigorously, reaching out to rest a hand on top of Virgil’s. He’d wonder where this reaction had come from if he could stop thinking about how his hands were so warm.

\- Be careful there, Virgil. If Roman heard you talking, he’d feel pretty offended that you’re trying to snatch away his title.

If an interrogation mark could make a sound, that would be the noise Anxiety had let out involuntarily. The realization rapidly crossed his mind, but that couldn’t have been what he was going for, surely. Patton must have taken his shock as only confusion, because he giggled shyly and rubbed his cheeks, which seemed to just be getting redder.

\- Oh, don’t mind me. I’m being silly. Your silly old uhm, dad.

Virgil wouldn’t be able to tell, but the moral side could see how his eyes brightened up at the dad mention. He quickly toned down expressions, however, pulling his hand back to himself and shoving them in his pockets.

\- Uhm, yea – he forced out a huff, and a small smile. – Whatever you say, Pat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you all thought of that! Ill be slowly telling everyone's gender/sexuality when it is relevant to mention, so don't worry! I have enough labels to go around for everybody xD


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the little hiatus, college was really kicking my ass. And depression, but lets not talk about that. To everyone that sticked around for this long, enjoy.

When Roman woke up, he couldn’t immediately tell something was off. Even after sleeping for so long, he still felt sluggish, so he cuddled closer to the pillow he wasn’t even aware he was holding and almost drifted back to sleep. Almost. Just when he closed his eyes, he realized what he was doing, wondering when Deceit’s chest had become so soft. True to himself, he stubbornly peeled his eyes open, staring with confusion at the random pillow in his arms. Instinctively, he reached his arm back, feeling it flop against the bed and move frantically around when he couldn’t grab anyone. The despair sank quickly into his heart, and he rapidly turned around, confirming his suspicions. Deceit was gone.

He could feel his bottom lip trembling already, his arms shakily grabbing the pillow tighter as he sat up. He was all alone. It really had been all a lie, hadn’t it? The snake had lured him into his room and abandoned him there to use him for his evil plans. A fat tear rolled down his cheek and landed on the soft cloud of white he was still holding, before suddenly burying his face in it. He was such a fool, for believing anyone would give a shit about him. For some reason, not even the wave of such heavy fear and negativity pulled him out of his little space, so the creative side just froze on that spot, letting the loneliness consume him; everything amplified, more than enough to drown him out. He hated how defenseless he felt, how he was basically a sitting duck on an unknown location to him and with no obvious way of getting back to his side.

Just as the nasty thoughts clouded his judgment, the yellow door creaked open, just a crack. A squeak slipped through his short sobs as Roman watched a dual headed snake slither up to the bed in a panic. Their soft scales came in contact with the sheets, and there was a brief and discreet flash of light, before arms tried to come around him. Princey recoiled away from the touch and closed his eyes firmly, trying to stop the tears that still flooded out of him. What was the dark side going to do now? Hit him, torture him? Maybe even brain wash. The liar was probably strong enough for that, no?

He vaguely heard a sigh, and the sheets shifting, somehow knowing Deceit had moved away from him without even looking.

\- I’m sorry – it was all they said, but something in their tone told him they were being genuine, maybe even resentful.

No matter how simple it was, Dee didn’t add anything else, nor tried to come closer again. They sat in silence, or mostly in silence, until Roman could finally stop being so dramatic. A pair of watery brown eyes met their mismatched ones, and the liar was so caught off guard they actually flinched. You could see, by the way the little prince looked close to crying again, how that had been the wrong reaction possible. Deceit had never felt so lost in their life. They were actually starting to get desperate.

\- Ro- man – they forced out, feeling their voice failing them, which only fueled their frustration. Can... – a breath in and out, but their expressions still looked exasperated. – T-Touch, you... Please.

The snake tried their best to hide it, but their mind was not working. They had not recharged nearly enough, and now they were going nonverbal on the worst of times. It was like their tongue tingled and knotted itself, their throat closing up. Ironically, their efforts must have been seen by Roman, because he was staring at them almost curiously. Still lost and doubtful, but at least his eyes looked mostly dry now, despite the redness.

Though, they couldn’t talk now, they were sure of it. The wall was in place, the worlds clashing and pilling at the bottom of it, their weight pressing down on their chest. Only Virgil knew sign language, to their knowledge, and there was no way this idiot would even realize they were signing if he tried, so that was not an option.

They bit the inside of their cheek, trying to stay rational. Body language would have to do for now, at least until Roman was in condition to talk in some other way. They willed their arms, the usual two, to rise up and stay open, a warm and welcoming gesture. They had no ulterior motives behind it, but Roman stared at them like they did. His judging glare only stopped for a second, when the little prince brought his hand up to rub his eyes. His other arm wrapped around the pillow tighter, and he made no other moves that could have possibly suggested he wanted to receive the hug, but Deceit knew he was going to fall for it sooner or later. However, completely shattering their expectations, Roman decided to talk instead:

\- I do not trust you – not exactly a lie, Deceit could sense, but it was dangerously close to being a truth. – Why should I let you hug me?

A pout had formed in the meantime, to Roman’s knowledge or not, the snake couldn’t tell, and an overbearing feeling of betrayal fell on them, either way, mixed with a sadness they didn’t dare acknowledge. It hadn’t worked. Their arms lowered slightly, and their expressions were out in the open, for once, sparking a glimpse of concern on the other side.

Why would Deceit look so... miserable? He had been to one to break his promise, not him! He didn’t need to use his tricks on him, because they weren’t going to work, not this time. The creative side still kept his guard up, as they slowly brought their hands together, every movement seeming calculated and practiced. Roman could simply watch, as the lying side started petting their own scales with their thumb. His mind took a second to process the sight, the situation looking weirdly familiar to him, but when it finally clicked, he almost squeaked in realization. He had seen Virgil doing the exact same thing to Deceit, exactly once.

After his debut, immediately after the video, the dark side had sneaked into his own room, without warning anyone. Patton looked extremely concerned, but he wanted to give their friend the space they needed before trying to talk to him. The heart still dragged himself around the Common Room, like you had just told him a puppy had died, so Logan stayed around to cheer him up, resourcing to spitting out random facts and hoping one of them could be used by his partner to make one of his silly puns. Right then and there, Roman had decided he’d check and stand guard until Deceit decided to come out, so he could heroically report to the moral side his findings. And he did just so by standing by his door, peeking through a little crack into the corridor. Yea, it totally wasn’t creepy.

His noble duty was rapidly getting boring, since he’d basically had to wait for 5 minutes and nothing exciting had happened yet. He was already considering giving up when Virgil stepped out of his room, looking shadier than a thief in the night. He had closed his door very carefully, walking around only in his socks to not make any noise. With his shoulders hunched forward, he tip toed to the empty wall at the end of their hallway, the connection between their side and the Dark Mind Palace. Excitedly, Roman pressed his face closer to the door, hearing him mumbling out random words as the portal spinned into existence. Virgil peeked back one last time before going through it, leaving it open so Deceit wouldn’t think he wanted to trap him in his own room. From where he stood, Creativity could only tell that the portal led to Deceit’s room, by the yellow popping out from specifically placed items, but he’d probably need to move if he wanted to see more. And impulsive as he was, he did just that, slowly opening his door and carefully stepping out into the corridor, totally not infiltrating the privacy of one of his fellow companions. He really had to stretch out his neck to get a view of the two of them, but he managed to see the dark sides sitting on the floor, cuddled into each other. Roman didn’t get their affections right away, but when Virgil moved to burrow his nose into Deceit’s hair, he noticed the lack of the snake’s precious hat. And then the lack of his gloves too. He almost made a noise at seeing Deceit’s hands, worthy of being owned by the most horrific Dragon Witch, completely covered in scales that made his skin look wrinkled and gross. Anxiety didn’t seem at all bothered, however, gently holding one of his hands as he carefully petted his scales with the tips of his fingers. If Deceit looked like he was about to cry, he’d have denied it by saying it had been a trick of the light.

And now, the lying side was using the exact same expression. They looked more hopeless, that’s a given, and it almost made Roman feel bad for them. His brain was already forming the beginning of a thought when he noticed something weird with Deceit’s own comforting. Their fingers seemed to be circling around in specific patterns, but the way their skin twisted and dragged by their movements made them harder to analyze. The fanciful side still focused very intensely, actually leaning closer to watch the weird event, and his interest was not ignored by the snake in question. Perfect chance to strike. They pretended to not be bothered by the way Roman started acting, carefully making the letters against the palm of their hand, simply taping once against their skin every once in a while to signalize the spaces between the words.

Very slowly, the little prince memorized every letter, every space, trying to decode the secret message that the dark side was spelling out. He didn’t understand why Deceit didn’t simply speak it aloud, nor why he seemed to have so much trouble speaking before, but the childish side of him clang to the challenge with a visceral grip. He had even started smiling a little, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards the closer he got to the end of the sentence. His lips spread into a full out beam once he got everything.

\- “I had to go do something. You were safe here.”, is that it? – Creativity quoted, not even realizing his own level of excitement.

Deceit appeared nonchalant while they nodded, but the glimpse of relief that shone on their eyes was not ignored by the prince. Roman had to bite his lips to stop smiling, bouncing once and pressing the pillow closer, feeling the pride swelling up in his chest for being smart enough to get it. The questions rapidly started forming in his mind, however, damping his happiness a little.

\- But, uhm – he frowned, and leaned away from Deceit. – Is that really all there is to it?

He received another nod, a more patient one this time.

\- Okay. – you could almost see Roman’s mind working, from how focused he was. – S-So you didn’t try to abandon me here on purpose?

The snake side rapidly shook his head, and went back to drawing letters on his scales. Roman leaned in close again, actually scooting forward in Deceit’s general direction, and the side in question hoped that meant he was believing him. This was too much work already, and they had just woken up.

\- “I would never do that. If my room was dangerous, you’d already have sensed it by now.” – Princey mumbled under his breath, punctuating every space as he converted each word.

He hummed a little, running by the words again, almost like trying to find a flaw in them. He rested his chin against the pillow while he was at it, staring down at the sheets. Deceit could always still be lying; that was his thing after all. But like always, his reasoning made sense. And he did look stressed out when he had caught him crying, but that could have been all acting. What would he even have to gain from helping him? The others must have been awake already by now, so he could just sent him off back to his own room and pretend this never happened.

\- Let’s assume all of this that it’s happening is true – Roman began, totally not stabbing Deceit in the heart with the harsh tone he used. – How can I be so sure of that? More so, how can I know you’re not lying, scaley monster?

The snake just stared at him for a moment, their body stiffing up as their hands started shaking. They had really done it now, huh? If not even idiot Roman was believing in them, how would anyone? Thomas was doomed, they all were. They held their hands against their chest, almost hiding them under the fabric of their onesie. They should have never gone out of their room without their gloves, they knew it. They hadn’t been careful enough. Of course only the dark sides appreciated them, they were too gross to be considered beautiful by anyone else. They would always be a monster, no matter how much they tried. A burning hatred enveloped around their heart, their hands squeezing into fists.

\- D-Deceit?

Their expressions must have been more open than they had assumed, because when they looked up at Roman, he was pretending with all his might to not be scared of the scary angry face the dark side was making right now. Their eyes were still glaring, the brows furrowed, but they didn’t care anymore. So be it. They had Remus and they had Virgil. They didn’t need anyone else to keep Thomas safe. They should have deducted that right from the beginning.

“I cannot lie while I’m in my room. Ask any of the light sides and they will confirm that for you. But if my little ugly hole is not fancy enough for you, the door is right there”, they rapidly spelled out, their hands still trembling, only making it harder to read. They knew they were being irrational, but they didn’t need this right now, and sure as hell they didn’t deserve it.

-I-I didn’t say--!

“We can just pretend I’m the Dragon witch you always dreamed of killing. Wouldn’t that just be wonderful? I’m sure that’s what you want, isn’t it?”, their hands were shaking so much, Roman barely got any of that.

\- I never--!

“I will never apologize for being who I am. I do not need to justify myself to you.”

The words that rapidly passed through their mind held much more poison than the last ones. Their hands were shaking so much they were sure they wouldn’t be able to tell anything else, even if they tried. That brought them some kind of comfort, but that didn’t stop the way their eyes burned, how their stomach turned violently in on itself. It wasn’t their fault they looked like this. It wasn’t their fault Thomas had basically shaped them like a villain. They were the fool for still trying to prove everyone wrong, that was the only explanation-

Their vision was so dark from the negativity fogging it that they didn’t see Roman pouncing on them. They couldn’t stop the gasp that was ripped out of them, or how they body froze, the warmth of the other side slowly slipping through their clothes. Creativity had basically just sat on their lap, burying his face on their shoulder and was holding them tighter than they thought it was physically possible, despite the way his whole figure shook.

\- I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry – Roman only pressed closer to them, even if he was scared of how they could lash out. – I-I didn’t mean it like that, please don’t be mad, papa.

The nickname was a bucket of cold water to the both of them. The fanciful side was so shocked the shaking stopped. He almost didn’t dare breathe, sure this was the tipping point. Angry as Deceit seemed to be, this could very well be the only thing he needed to tear him to shreds.

The silence that followed was one of the most uncomfortable experiences the prince had ever lived, all his instincts up to the max, as he waited for the danger that didn’t come. He was scared to move, might that be the trigger that the dark side needs to finally lose his composure, but he’d never know if he didn’t try it. Gulping, he focused on his breathing as he slowly loosened his embrace, just as carefully starting to move away from the other. What he didn’t expect was the cold hand that quickly pressed against his back, ripping a quiet yell out of him. Nor did he expect all of the other arms that gently wrapped around his figure, loose enough that he could pull away at any minute. Some part of him refused to relax, assuming this could still be some type of elaborate trap, but it briskly died down when his eyes fell on Deceit’s face. Their eyes were full of remorse, guilt and shame. Roman was actually starting to think the snake couldn’t cry at all, because their eyes looked extremely wet, but not even a single tear fell. They didn’t try to speak, however, simply leaning closer, their eyes never parting from Roman’s. Princey didn’t know how to react until their foreheads were already touching, and only then did they gaze stop pinning him in place, since Deceit had closed their eyes.

They never made any sound. Roman thought snakes could make noises too, but Dee remained quiet, just holding him gently. He felt kinda bad for not being able to hug back, since they had seized his arms against his torso, until their little snake tongue peeked out from between their lips, just the tip, accidentally brushing against Roman’s cheek. It felt really rough against his soft skin, and it kinda tickled, so of course the little prince couldn’t stop the small giggle that escaped him. Deceit’s eyes immediately shot open, scaring the fanciful side to death, but their unsure gaze made him quickly relax.

\- D-Does this mean I’m forgiven? – Princey tried, his voice just above a whisper.

The snake blinked very slowly as they nodded, only nuzzling closer to his forehead. In response, the creative side let out the biggest breath of relief, melting all the remaining tension out of his body, and ripping a barely audible snort out of Deceit. Roman would never admit that made him slightly embarrassed, so he covered it with a small giggle, a soft smile tracing his lips.

\- Is there any reason, uh, for- as to why you can’t speak though? – he said before thinking over his words.

Thankfully, the lying side didn’t seem bothered by the question, even if it dreaded the little prince how their arms unwrapped from around him. He quickly realized what was going on, however, as Deceit gently took one of his hands and held it against theirs, carefully drawing the letters on his skin. Roman noticed with pleasant admiration that it was much easier to understand what they were saying this way, and much faster too.

“My powers are a double edged sword. If I use them too much, and I don’t recharge properly, they backfire. Take into consideration that I used them twice yesterday, besides the general lack of sleep, and you get a mute Deceit for an undetermined period of time.”

\- Huh – he frowned, thinking over that situation. – So that’s what you went to do? Earlier.

Roman was sure he hadn’t explained himself properly, but Deceit somehow got it anyways, nodding and going back to their spelling.

“At the exhaustion point I was already, the only way to heal is by standing near one of the primary traits and basically drain them dry. Since they can recharge by themselves”

\- Primary traits?? What’s that?

The snake rolled their eyes and smiled a little.

“The first traits that emerged during Thomas’s development. Patton is the strongest one, so I usually just go up to him.”

Roman’s mood visibly damped a little, but Deceit couldn’t understand why. He didn’t ask any more questions either, seemingly trapped inside his head with his thoughts.

“I asked for his permission first, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

The fanciful side rapidly snapped back to the present, widening his eyes.

\- I was not--!

Dee simply held his hand between their cold ones, effectively shutting him up with a shiver. They didn’t try to write anything else, only staring at him deep in the eyes before letting their form change, the thick glasses that rested on his nose still a very much dispensable fashion choice, if they could avoid it. Roman couldn’t tear his confused eyes away from Logan’s figure in front of him, his heart going haywire even if he knew this wasn’t really Logan there holding his hand.

\- Why did you change??

\- Loophole – they smirked and gently pulled their hands away from Roman’s. – I had a theory about this, and it looks like I was right.

Princey was already moving his lips to ask what that meant, but Deceit simply gave him a little pat on the head, smiling softly.

\- I, as Deceit, shouldn’t be able to speak. But there’s nothing that stops Logan from speaking. I think he has infinite batteries when it comes to lectures, really.

There was a snort, but it held no mean intentions.

\- Look who’s talking.

\- Ah, excuse you, my lectures are extremely entertaining.

The snake was speaking and acting like it was still Deceit there, and the dramatic and sassy comeback was the funniest thing coming from Logan, rendering Roman to a pile of giggles. So busy with the pains that was bringing to his stomach, the little prince didn’t realize that had just been Deceit purpose all along, the soft smile that had crawled up to their lips as they watched him being more than indication for that.

When Creativity could finally breathe, Dee gently reached for him, picking him up and smoothly dropping him in their lap, thoroughly enjoying the way his cheeks reddened at their actions. The breath that they slowly let out helped him ease into character, the environment now open and accepting for such a change.

\- What games do you wish to play now, little prince?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My statistics are a little weird, and they dont match with what shows on the normal works page. Someone knows if thats normal or?

**Author's Note:**

> Also! English is not my first language, so please dont be afraid to comment if you see any mistakes


End file.
